Congressman Norcross lauds passage of the BRAVE Act

U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) 

Congressman Donald Norcross (D-NJ-1), author of the Bring Registered Apprenticeships to Veterans (BRAVE) Act, issued a statement applauding the inclusion of his legislation in the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Spending Bill. The important new program will boost the number of Veterans transitioning from military service into registered apprenticeships, like the SMART Heroes program SMACNA and SMART have designed with significant success and public acclaim.

In his statement applauding the passage of the measure, Congressman Norcross said, “The brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Services are highly skilled and uniquely qualified to learn a trade and strengthen our workforce, and it is only right that we provide them with world-class opportunities to do that.” The Congressman continued, “As a former union apprentice and father of a veteran, delivering these opportunities to our nation’s heroes has been a top priority for me. Registered apprenticeships allow early-career individuals to find good work, earn while they learn, and graduate with the skills to find family-sustaining careers.”

Stan Kolbe, Executive Director for Government and Political Affairs of SMACNA, voiced his appreciation for Congressman Norcross’ work, stating, “The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association (SMACNA) greatly appreciates the essential role Rep. Norcross played as sponsor and outspoken advocate for the BRAVE Act as part of the FY23 Omnibus Appropriations Act. We are also thankful to Rep. Norcross for the BRAVE Act for helping expand our complementary SMART-SMACNA veteran recruitment and training program, the SMART Heroes program.”

SMART General President Joseph Sellers, Jr. also lauded the legislation’s passage, saying, “With the inclusion of the BRAVE Act in the 2022 omnibus bill, transitioning servicemembers who selflessly committed themselves to our nation will have access not only to registered apprenticeships but also to programs like SMART HEROES, which provides seven weeks of accelerated sheet metal industry training—equivalent to the first year of an apprenticeship—to active-duty U.S. military members and recent veterans.”

More information on the BRAVE Act can be found here. The text of the FY23 omnibus is here. Take a moment to review Congressman Norcross’ remarks on the BRAVE Act here.