If state and federal regulatory standards conflict regarding apprenticeship agreements, which standards prevail?
The answer to the first three questions is yes. The answer to the fourth question is set forth in our analysis. ANALYSIS At the outset, we note that each of your first three questions asks whether the State Apprenticeship Council (Council) has the authority to disapprove an apprenticeship agreement on a specific stated ground. Our answers to each question assume that in a given case, the Council articulates the specific ground in question for disapproving an agreement. Our comments about the Council’s authority to disapprove an agreement are not intended to encourage the Council to disapprove agreements without stating the reasons for its decision. Nor should the reasons be stated in vague or general terms. In this regard, note our discussion in AGO 1989 No. 12 of the Council’s responsibilities. It is always the best policy for administrative agencies to make decisions for clearly stated reasons and which demonstrate consistency between decisions. Such agency decision-making maximizes
