Title: Lift the Relocation Burden from Military Spouses Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Lift the Relocation Burden from Military Spouses Act
This bill authorizes the military department concerned to reimburse a member of the Armed Forces who is reassigned for a permanent change of station or assignment from one state to another for qualified relicensing costs of the member's spouse.
Reimbursement may not exceed $500 for each change of station or assignment.
The Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security (with respect to the Coast Guard) shall work with states to improve license portability.
"Qualified relicensing costs" are the costs, including exam and registration fees, needed to secure a license or certification to engage in the same profession in the new state.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1796 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1796

To amend title 37, United States Code, to authorize, in connection with 
    the permanent change of station of a member of the Armed Forces 
requiring relocation to another State, the reimbursement of the member 
for qualified relicensing costs incurred by the spouse of the member to 
 secure a license or certification required by the State to which the 
  member and spouse relocate, to encourage States to expedite license 
       portability for military spouses, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 29, 2017

 Ms. Stefanik (for herself, Mr. Jones, Mr. King of New York, Mr. Heck, 
Mr. Webster of Florida, Mr. Delaney, Mr. Walz, Mr. Faso, and Mr. Rush) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 37, United States Code, to authorize, in connection with 
    the permanent change of station of a member of the Armed Forces 
requiring relocation to another State, the reimbursement of the member 
for qualified relicensing costs incurred by the spouse of the member to 
 secure a license or certification required by the State to which the 
  member and spouse relocate, to encourage States to expedite license 
       portability for military 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 ``Lift the Relocation Burden from 
Military Spouses Act''.

SEC. 2. REIMBURSEMENT FOR STATE LICENSURE AND CERTIFICATION COSTS OF A 
              SPOUSE OF THE ARMED FORCES ARISING FROM A PERMANENT 
              CHANGE OF STATION OF THE MEMBER TO ANOTHER STATE.

    (a) Reimbursement Authorized.--Section 476 of title 37, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(p)(1) The Secretary concerned may reimburse a member of the 
armed forces who is reassigned for a permanent change of station or 
permanent change of assignment from a duty station in one State to a 
duty station in another State to which the movement of the member's 
dependents is authorized at the expense of the United States under this 
section for qualified relicensing costs of the spouse of the member.
    ``(2) Reimbursement to a member under this subsection may not 
exceed $500 for each change of station or change of assignment.
    ``(3) In this subsection, the term `qualified relicensing costs' 
means costs, including exam and registration fees, that--
            ``(A) are imposed by the State of the new duty station to 
        secure a license or certification to engage in the same 
        profession that the spouse engaged in while in the State of the 
        original duty station; and
            ``(B) are paid or incurred by the member or spouse to 
        secure the license or certification from the State of the new 
        duty station after the date on which the orders directing the 
        permanent change of station or permanent change of assignment 
        are issued.''.
    (b) Expedited License Portability for Military Spouses.--The 
Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with 
respect to the Coast Guard, shall work with States to improve the 
portability between States of a license, certification, or other grant 
of permission held by the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces to 
engage in a particular activity in a State. The strategies to be 
recommended by the Secretaries to improve license portability for 
military spouses shall include the following:
            (1) Recognition by a State of a license issued by another 
        State and in good standing in that State.
            (2) Issuance of a temporary license pending completion of 
        State-specific requirements.
            (3) Provision of an expedited review process for military 
        spouses.
    (c) Report on Extent of Unemployment and Underemployment of 
Military Spouses.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives a report evaluating the extent to which spouses of 
members of the Armed Forces are unemployed and underemployed, in 
comparison to the general population. The report shall include an 
estimate of the number and percentage of unemployed and underemployed 
military spouses, the primary reasons for their unemployment or 
underemployment, and recommendations to increase employment 
opportunities for military spouses.
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