Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the importance of easing the transition of members of the Armed Forces and their families from military to civilian life.

Whereas members of the Armed Forces and their families make great sacrifices on behalf of the United States, and, when their active duty service is successfully concluded, members deserve the opportunity to also make a successful transition to the civilian labor force; Whereas, when transitioning from active duty in the Armed Forces to civilian employment, members often face barriers that make it difficult to fully utilize the skills and training they gained during their military service; Whereas members and veterans are too often required to repeat education or training in order to receive industry certifications and State occupational licenses, even though their military training and experience often overlaps with the certification or licensing requirements; Whereas, when members are transferred from military assignment to military assignment, their spouses often face barriers to transferring their credentials and to securing employment in their new location; Whereas more than one million members will make the transition to civilian life in the coming years; Whereas the Department of Defense established the Military Credentialing and Licensing Task Force in 2012; and Whereas the Joining Forces program, a national initiative to mobilize all sectors of society to give members of the Armed Forces and their families the opportunities and support they have earned, will make it easier for members and their families to transfer skills learned while the member was serving in the Armed Forces to civilian employment: Now, therefore, be it That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that— (1) the Federal Government and State governments should make the transition of a member of the Armed Forces and the member’s spouse from military to civilian life as seamless as possible by creating opportunities for the member and spouse to earn, while the member is in the Armed Forces, civilian occupational credentials and licenses, with an emphasis on well-paying industries and occupations that have a high demand for skilled workers, including: manufacturing, information technology, transportation and logistics, health care, and emergency medical services; (2) the Federal Government should assist State governments in translating military training and experience into credit towards professional licensure; and (3) State governments should streamline approaches for assessing the equivalency of military training and experience, and accelerate occupational licensing processes for members, veterans, and their spouses.

Summary: Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the federal government and state governments should make the transition of a member of the Armed Forces and the member's spouse from military to civilian life as seamless as possible by creating opportunities for them to earn civilian occupational credentials and licenses, with an emphasis on well-paying industries and occupations that have a high demand for skilled workers; (2) the federal government should assist state governments in translating military training and experience into credit towards professional licensure; and (3) state governments should streamline approaches for assessing the equivalency of military training and experience and accelerate occupational licensing processes for members, veterans, and their spouses.