I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2618 

To amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide a guarantee of 

residency for registration of businesses of spouses of members of the 

uniformed services, to improve occupational license portability for military 

spouses through interstate compacts, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 9, 2019 

Mr. BANKS (for himself, Mrs. DAVIS of California, and Mr. CHABOT) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed 

Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a 

period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide 

a guarantee of residency for registration of businesses 

of spouses of members of the uniformed services, to 

improve occupational license portability for military 

spouses through interstate compacts, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. GUARANTEE OF RESIDENCY FOR REGISTRA2 TION OF BUSINESSES OF SPOUSES OF MEM3 BERS OF UNIFORMED SERVICES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title VI of the Servicemembers 

5 Civil Relief Act (50 U.S.C. 4021 et seq.) is amended by 

6 adding at the end the following new section: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 707. GUARANTEE OF RESIDENCY FOR BUSINESSES OF 

8 SPOUSES OF SERVICEMEMBERS. 

9 ‘‘For the purposes of registering a business— 

10 ‘‘(1) a person who is absent from a State be11 cause the person is accompanying the person’s 

12 spouse who is absent from that same State in com13 pliance with military or naval orders shall not, solely 

14 by reason of that absence— 

15 ‘‘(A) be deemed to have lost a residence or 

16 domicile in that State, without regard to wheth17 er or not the person intends to return to that 

18 State; 

19 ‘‘(B) be deemed to have acquired a resi20 dence or domicile in any other State; or 

21 ‘‘(C) be deemed to have become a resident 

22 in or a resident of any other State; and 

23 ‘‘(2) the spouse of a servicemember may elect 

24 to use the same residence as the servicemember re25 gardless of the date on which the marriage of the 

26 spouse and the servicemember occurred.’’. 


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1 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

2 in section 1(b) of such Act is amended by inserting after 

3 the item relating to section 706 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 707. Guarantee of residency for businesses of spouses of servicemembers.’’. 

4 SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE PORT5 ABILITY FOR MILITARY SPOUSES THROUGH 

6 INTERSTATE COMPACTS. 

7 Section 1784 of title 10, United States Code, is 

8 amended by adding at the end the following new sub9 section: 

10 ‘‘(h) IMPROVEMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE

11 PORTABILITY THROUGH INTERSTATE COMPACTS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 

13 may enter into a cooperative agreement with the 

14 Council of State Governments to assist with funding 

15 of the development of interstate compacts on li16 censed occupations in order to alleviate the burden 

17 associated with relicensing in such an occupation by 

18 the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces in con19 nection with a permanent change of duty station of 

20 members to another State. 

21 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—The amount provided under 

22 paragraph (1) as assistance for the development of 

23 any particular interstate compact may not exceed 

24 $1,000,000. 


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1 ‘‘(3) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than Feb2 ruary 28 of each year, the Secretary shall submit to 

3 the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate 

4 and the House of Representatives a report on inter5 state compacts described in paragraph (1) developed 

6 through assistance provided under that paragraph. 

7 Each report shall set forth the following: 

8 ‘‘(A) Any interstate compact developed 

9 during the preceding calendar year, including 

10 the occupational licenses covered by such com11 pact and the States agreeing to enter into such 

12 compact. 

13 ‘‘(B) Any interstate compact developed 

14 during a prior calendar year into which one or 

15 more additional States agreed to enter during 

16 the preceding calendar year. 

17 ‘‘(4) EXPIRATION.—The authority to enter into 

18 a cooperative agreement under paragraph (1), and 

19 to provide assistance described in that paragraph 

20 pursuant to such cooperative agreement, shall expire 

21 on September 30, 2024.’’. 

Æ 


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