Today, Representative Mike Garcia (R-CA) introduced the bipartisan Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act of 2021. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate. The bill would give military spouses with valid professional licenses in one state, reciprocity in another state where their spouse is stationed on military orders.

“Military families have enough things to worry about, they should not have to also worry about getting a new professional license every time their spouse receives new orders,” said Garcia. “As a former U.S. Navy fighter pilot, I understand the burden military families carry when they have to move locations. Our men and women in uniform and their families sacrifice so much for this nation and they deserve all the support they can get. I am grateful to Senator Mike Lee for joining me in this effort to remove this burdensome obstacle that many military families face and help ensure our military families have the support that they deserve.”

“Faced with a 50-state patchwork of licensing laws, military spouses are forced to spend thousands of dollars and hours to obtain licensure every time they move to a new state under military orders,” said Sen. Lee. “This bill will help lift that unjust burden on our military families – who sacrifice so much to protect our nation – by ensuring that spouses can receive the licensing reciprocity they need across state lines.”

Currently, people with professional licenses are required to acquire a new professional license when moving their practice to a new state. For most, moving their profession to a new state is a choice but for military spouses it is often times not a choice. Garcia’s bill would remove employment barriers and improve job security and stability for military families when moving on military orders.