Ossoff-sponsored bill supporting military spouses becomes law

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s bipartisan bill to support military spouses’ careers is now law.

Earlier this year, Sens. Ossoff, D-Georgia, and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., introduced the bipartisan Military Spouse Career Support Act of 2023 to support military spouses’ careers by expanding the reimbursement of licensure and business costs to spouses of servicemembers who are transferring to the reserve component.

Many military families incur high costs during frequent moves, including military spouses who must reapply for business licenses, certifications, and more when moving to a new assignment.

Currently, the Department of Defense offers reimbursements for military spouses’ relicensing, recertification, and business costs only when active-duty military families relocate between assignments; not when families relocate between active and reserve assignments.

“Military families make tremendous sacrifices in defense of our nation,” Ossoff said. “I brought Republicans and Democrats together to pass this bill into law and help military spouses have more job flexibility.”

According to the DoD, nearly 39% of military spouses require a professional license for their jobs and can face unemployment each time they move.

Last year, Ossoff worked across the aisle to pass the bipartisan Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act into law to make job opportunities more flexible for military spouses by requiring states to recognize the professional licenses of military spouses from other states when their family’s station changes.