(a) Recognition. The Department may exercise its authority to grant recognition to a State Apprenticeship Agency. Recognition confers non-exclusive authority to determine whether an apprenticeship program conforms to the published standards and whether the program is, therefore, eligible for those Federal purposes which require such a determination by the Department. Such recognition shall be accorded upon the State's submission of, the Department's approval of, and the State's compliance with the following:

(1) The State Apprenticeship Agency must submit a State apprenticeship law, whether instituted through statute, Executive Order, regulation, or other means, that conforms to the requirements of this part and 29 CFR part 30;

(2) The State Apprenticeship Agency must establish and continue to use a State Apprenticeship Council, which operates under the direction of the State Apprenticeship Agency. The State Apprenticeship Council may be either regulatory or advisory and must meet the following requirements:

(i) It must be composed of persons familiar with apprenticeable occupations, and

(ii) It must include an equal number of representatives of employer and of employee organizations and include public members who shall not number in excess of the number named to represent either employer or employee organizations;

(3) The State Apprenticeship Agency must submit a State Plan for Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship that conforms to the requirements published in 29 CFR part 30;

(4) The State Apprenticeship Agency's submission must include a description of the basic standards, criteria, and requirements for program registration and/or approval, and demonstrate linkages and coordination with the State's economic development strategies and publicly-funded workforce investment system; and

(5) The State Apprenticeship Agency's submission must include a description of policies and operating procedures which depart from or impose requirements in addition to those prescribed in this part.

(b) Basic requirements. In order to obtain and maintain recognition as provided under paragraph (a) of this section, the State Apprenticeship Agency must conform to the requirements of this part. To accomplish this, the State must:

(1) Establish and maintain an administrative entity (the State Apprenticeship Agency) that is capable of performing the functions of a Registration Agency under this part;

(2) Provide sufficient resources to carry out the functions of a Registration Agency, including: Outreach and education; registration of programs and apprentices; provision of technical assistance, and monitoring as required to fulfill the requirements of this part;

(3) Clearly delineate the respective powers and duties of the State office, the State Apprenticeship Agency, and the State Apprenticeship Council;

(4) Establish policies and procedures to promote equality of opportunity in apprenticeship programs pursuant to a State Plan for Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship which adopts and implements the requirements of 29 CFR part 30, and to require apprenticeship programs to operate in conformity with such State Plan and 29 CFR part 30;

(5) Prescribe the contents of apprenticeship agreements, in conformity with § 29.7;

(6) Ensure that the registration of apprenticeship programs occurs only in apprenticeable occupations, as provided in § 29.4, including occupations in high growth and high demand industries;

(7) Accord reciprocal approval for Federal purposes to apprentices, apprenticeship programs and standards that are registered in other States by the Office of Apprenticeship or a Registration Agency if such reciprocity is requested by the apprenticeship program sponsor. Program sponsors seeking reciprocal approval must meet the wage and hour provisions and apprentice ratio standards of the reciprocal State;

(8) Provide for the cancellation and/or deregistration of programs, and for temporary suspension, cancellation, and/or deregistration of apprenticeship agreements; and

(9) Submit all proposed modifications in legislation, regulations, policies and/or operational procedures planned or anticipated by a State Apprenticeship Agency, either at the time of application for recognition or subsequently, to the Office of Apprenticeship for review and obtain the Office of Apprenticeship's concurrence prior to implementation.

(c) Application for recognition. A State Apprenticeship Agency desiring new or continued recognition as a Registration Agency must submit to the Administrator of the Office of Apprenticeship the documentation specified in paragraph (a) of this section. A currently recognized State desiring continued recognition by the Office of Apprenticeship must submit to the Administrator of the Office of Apprenticeship the documentation specified in paragraph (a) of this section within 2 years of the effective date of the final rule. The recognition of a currently recognized State shall continue for up to 2 years from the effective date of this regulation and during any extension period granted by the Administrator. An extension of time within which to comply with the requirements of this part may be granted by the Administrator for good cause upon written request by the State, but the Administrator shall not extend the time for submission of the documentation required by paragraph (a) of this section. Upon approval of the State Apprenticeship Agency's application for recognition and any subsequent modifications to this application as required under paragraph (b)(9) of this section, the Administrator shall so notify the State Apprenticeship Agency in writing.

(d) Duration of recognition. The recognition of a State Apprenticeship Agency shall last for 5 years from the date recognition is granted under paragraph (c) of this section. The Administrator shall notify each State Registration Agency at least 180 days prior to the expiration of the 5-year period whether the Registration Agency is in conformity with this part, based on reviews conducted by the Office of Apprenticeship, as required by paragraph (e) of this section. If the notification states that the State Apprenticeship Agency is in conformity, recognition will be renewed for an additional 5-year period. If the notification states that the State Apprenticeship Agency is not in conformity, the notification shall specify the areas of non-conformity, require corrective action, and offer technical assistance. After the Administrator determines that a State Apprenticeship Agency has corrected the identified non-conformities, recognition will be renewed for an additional 5-year period.

(e) Compliance. The Office of Apprenticeship will monitor a State Registration Agency for compliance with the recognition requirements of this part through:

(1) On-site reviews conducted by Office of Apprenticeship staff.

(2) Self-assessment reports, as required by the Office of Apprenticeship.

(3) Review of State Apprenticeship Agency legislation, regulations, policies, and/or operating procedures required to be submitted under paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(5) and (b)(9) of this section for review and approval as required under § 29.13(a).

(4) Determination whether, based on the review performed under paragraphs (e)(1), (2), and (3) of this section, the State Registration Agency is in compliance with this part. Notice to the State Registration Agency of the determination will be given within 45 days of receipt of proposed modifications to legislation, regulations, policies, and/or operational procedures required to be submitted under paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(5) and (b)(9) of this section.

(f) Accountability/Remedies for non-conformity. (1) State Registration Agencies that fail to maintain compliance with the requirements of this part, as provided under paragraph (e) of this section, will:

(i) Receive technical assistance from the Office of Apprenticeship in an effort to remedy the non-conforming activity; and

(ii) Be placed on “Conditional Recognition” for a period of 45 days during which the State Apprenticeship Agency must submit a corrective action plan to remedy the non-conforming activity to the Office of Apprenticeship. Upon request from the State Apprenticeship Agency, for good cause, the 45-day period may be extended.

(2) Failure to comply with these requirements will result in rescission of recognition, for Federal Purposes as provided under § 29.14.

(g) Denial of State apprenticeship agency recognition. A denial by the Office of Apprenticeship of a State Apprenticeship Agency's application for new or continued recognition must be in writing and must set forth the reasons for denial. The notice must be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested. In addition to the reasons stated for the denial, the notice must specify the remedies which must be undertaken prior to consideration of a resubmitted request, and must state that a request for administrative review of a denial of recognition may be made within 30 calendar days of receipt of the notice of denial from the Department. Such request must be filed with the Chief Administrative Law Judge for the Department in accordance with 29 CFR part 18. Within 30 calendar days of the filing of the request for review, the Administrator must prepare an administrative record for submission to the Administrative Law Judge designated by the Chief Administrative Law Judge.

(1) The procedures contained in 29 CFR part 18 will apply to the disposition of the request for review except that:

(i) The Administrative Law Judge will receive, and make part of the record, documentary evidence offered by any party and accepted at the hearing. Copies thereof will be made available by the party submitting the documentary evidence to any party to the hearing upon request.

(ii) Technical rules of evidence will not apply to hearings conducted under this part, but rules or principles designed to assure production of the most credible evidence available and to subject testimony to test by cross-examination will be applied, where reasonably necessary, by the Administrative Law Judge conducting the hearing. The Administrative Law Judge may exclude irrelevant, immaterial, or unduly repetitious evidence.

(2) The Administrative Law Judge should submit proposed findings, a recommended decision, and a certified record of the proceedings to the Administrative Review Board within 90 calendar days after the close of the record.

(3) Within 20 days of the receipt of the recommended decision, any party may file exceptions. Any party may file a response to the exceptions filed by another party within 10 days of receipt of the exceptions. All exceptions and responses must be filed with the Administrative Review Board with copies served on all parties and amici curiae in accordance with 29 CFR part 26.

(4) After the close of the period for filing exceptions and responses, the Administrative Review Board may issue a briefing schedule or may decide the matter on the record before it. The Administrative Review Board must decide any case it accepts for review within 180 days of the close of the record. If a decision is not so issued, the Administrative Law Judge's decision constitutes final agency action.

(h) Withdrawal from recognition. Where a State Apprenticeship Agency voluntarily relinquishes its recognition for Federal purposes, the State must:

(1) Send a formal notice of intent to the Administrator of the Office of Apprenticeship;

(2) Provide all apprenticeship program standards, apprenticeship agreements, completion records, cancellation and suspension records, Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance Review files and any other documents relating to the State's apprenticeship programs, to the Department; and

(3) Cooperate fully during a transition period.

(i) Retention of authority. Notwithstanding any grant of recognition to a State Apprenticeship Agency under this section, the Office of Apprenticeship retains the full authority to register apprenticeship programs and apprentices in all States and Territories where the Office of Apprenticeship determines that such action is necessary to further the interests of the National Apprenticeship System.

(j) State apprenticeship programs. (1) An apprenticeship program submitted to a State Registration Agency for registration must, for Federal purposes, be in conformity with the State apprenticeship law, regulations, and with the State Plan for Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship as submitted to and approved by the Office of Apprenticeship pursuant to 29 CFR part 30.

(2) In the event that a State Apprenticeship Agency is not recognized by the Office of Apprenticeship for Federal purposes or that such recognition has been withdrawn, or if no State Apprenticeship Agency exists, registration with the Office of Apprenticeship may be requested. Such registration must be granted if the program is conducted, administered and operated in accordance with the requirements of this part and the equal opportunity regulation in 29 CFR part 30, as amended.