Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act of 2021

To amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide for the portability of professional licenses of members of the uniformed services and their spouses, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act of 2021 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Thirty percent of military spouses work in skilled positions requiring a State-issued professional license or certification, and 30 percent of military spouses have a four-year degree or greater. (2) Prior to the COVID–19 pandemic, military spouses faced unemployment at nearly six times the nationwide unemployment rate. (3) To date, 49 of the 50 States have acknowledged the challenges facing military spouses by taking various steps to address barriers to professional licensure. (4) The average military family loses more than $10,000 per year in wages and fees due to time-consuming and costly relicensing procedures unique to each State. 3. Portability of professional licenses of members of the uniformed services and their spouses (a) In general Title VII of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act ( 50 U.S.C. 4021 50 U.S.C. 4025 705A. Portability of professional licenses of servicemembers and their spouses (a) In general In any case in which a servicemember has a professional license in good standing in a jurisdiction or the spouse of a servicemember has a professional license in good standing in a jurisdiction and such servicemember or spouse relocates his or her residency because of military orders for military service to a location that is not in such jurisdiction, the professional license or certification of such servicemember or spouse shall be considered valid at a similar scope of practice and in the discipline applied for in the jurisdiction of such new residency for the duration of such military orders if such servicemember or spouse— (1) provides a copy of such military orders to the licensing authority in the jurisdiction in which the new residency is located; (2) remains in good standing with the licensing authority that issued the license; and (3) submits to the authority of the licensing authority in the new jurisdiction for the purposes of standards of practice, discipline, and fulfillment of any continuing education requirements. (b) Interstate licensure compacts If a servicemember or spouse of a servicemember is licensed and able to operate in multiple jurisdictions through an interstate licensure compact, with respect to services provided in the jurisdiction of the interstate licensure compact by a licensee covered by such compact, the servicemember or spouse of a servicemember shall be subject to the requirements of the compact or the applicable provisions of law of the applicable State and not this section. . (b) Clerical amendment The table of contents in section 1(b) of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 705 the following new item: Sec. 705A. Portability of professional licenses of servicemembers and their spouses. .

Summary: Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act of 2021 This bill provides for the portability of professional licenses of service members and their spouses who are relocated, because of military orders, outside of the jurisdiction that issued the license. Specifically, a professional license in good standing of a service member or spouse shall be considered valid at a similar scope of practice and in the discipline applied for in the new jurisdiction for the duration of such military orders. To establish and maintain eligibility, a service member or spouse must (1) provide a copy of the military orders to the licensing authority in the new jurisdiction; (2) remain in good standing with the licensing authority that issued the license; and (3) submit to the authority of the licensing authority in the new jurisdiction for the purposes of standards of practice, discipline, and fulfillment of any continuing education requirements. The bill also provides that if a service member or spouse is licensed to operate in multiple jurisdictions through an interstate licensure compact, the service member or spouse is subject to the requirements of the compact or the applicable provisions of the state law rather than the provisions of this bill.