How a new plan aims to keep military spouses working

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/05/09/how-a-new-plan-aims-to-keep-military-spouses-working/

How a new plan aims to keep military spouses working

By: Leo Shane III    14 hours ago

In an effort to help military spouses hold onto their jobs, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced new legislation Thursday to create universal licensing standards for a host of professions and to modify state residency rules to ease barriers for frequently moving families.

“We have a whole pool of people who are talented, who have the skills we need for our jobs, and we put up all these barriers to them,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., one of the sponsors of the measure. “This is a way not just to help military spouses, but to help the economy as a whole.”

The bill — dubbed the Portable Certification of Spouses Act — was unveiled on the eve of Military Spouse Appreciation Day at a Capitol Hill event featuring second lady Karen Pence, whose son serves in the Marine Corps.

She announced plans for a White House summit next week with leaders from 46 national businesses to talk about ways to create more job opportunities for the spouses of servicemembers, calling it a critical need for the country.
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