Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.2650 | Sponsor: Rep. Garcia, Mike (R-CA)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

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.

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.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act 
of 2021''.

SEC. 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.

SEC. 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 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 705 (50 
U.S.C. 4025) the following new section:

``SEC. 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.''.
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