Barrasso Backs Bipartisan Military Spouses Licensing Bill

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso is joining 22 other senators in supporting a bill that would make it easier for the spouses of members of the military to practice their professions where their spouses are stationed.

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Ellen Fike

September 18, 20202 min read

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U.S. Sen. John Barrasso is joining 22 other senators in supporting a bill that would make it easier for the spouses of members of the military to practice their professions where their spouses are stationed.

On Thursday, the senators introduced the bipartisan Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act, which gives military spouses with valid professional licenses in one state reciprocity in the state where their spouse is currently serving on military orders, according to a news release.

For example, if a military spouse has a cosmetology license in Colorado, but his or her spouse is serving in Wyoming, their license would be valid in both states.

“In Wyoming, we recognize the sacrifice that our service members and their families make every day,” Barrasso said in the release. “Military families often move every two to three years. The last thing they need to worry about is spending time and money trying to maintain their careers in a new state.

“Our bipartisan bill will make it easier for military spouses to transition the professional licenses they’ve already worked hard to obtain when they move to a new duty station,” he continued.

The bill would amend the Service Members Civil Relief Act of 2003. The SCRA already provides a number of protections for active duty service members and their families, including rental agreements, civil judicial proceedings, installment contracts and credit card and mortgage interest rates.

This legislation wouldn’t preempt state law on how the licenses are used, as military spouses would still be required to comply with standards of practice, discipline and continuing education requirements.

Some of the senators co-sponsoring the bill alongside Barrasso include Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, Senator Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-California.

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