March 27, 2018

Over the past decade, Congress has continually focused on veteran and military spouse employment. Despite well-intended efforts, military spouse unemployment rates and underemployment rates remain unacceptably high.

The passage of three pieces of legislation introduced this year could be the change needed to improve military spouse employment outcomes. Each falls under a different committee jurisdiction and facilitates a different aspect of support for military spouse employment.

• The Military Spouse Employment Act of 2018 (S. 2379, H.R. 5125) - an omnibus-type bill with multiple components focused on increased reporting, outreach, and access to child care. This legislation falls under the jurisdiction of the Armed Services committees and hopefully will become part of the FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act.
• The Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act of 2018 (S. 2457) - a tax bill extending the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to employers hiring military spouses and the creation of a Dependent Care Account for servicemembers. The chance of passing this bill is nil without a House companion introduction and passage first because it is a spending bill. In the Senate, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Finance Committee. A House bill would be under the Ways and Means Committee.
• The Support our Military Spouses Act (S. 2541) - This bill is the companion to the already passed H.R. 282 Military Residency Choice Act, which falls under the Veterans' Affairs committees. Under current law, spouses can only be protected from changing residency every PCS across state lines if they share the same state of residency as their servicemember. This legislation would allow them to “inherit” it, without having had a physical presence in the state. MOAA supports this bill but also is socializing expansion to match protections for the servicemember (where a spouse could maintain residency in a state so long as they were trailing a servicemember on active duty orders). Doing so would facilitate spouses maintaining residency in a state where they have a professional license - a requirement of some interstate compacts.

These bills are innovative and comprehensive. Together they serve a collective push in the right direction for easing multiple challenges military spouses face in maintaining a career.