Lawmakers approve bill expediting job license applications for military spouses

A bill that would fast track the professional license applications of military spouses advanced Wednesday through its final committee stop.

The proposal (SB 562) would provide a temporary work license to military spouses who hold an out-of-state professional license.

It would also, among other provisions, waive Florida’s license application fees. Tampa Democratic Sen. Janet Cruz is the bill sponsor.

The Senate Appropriations Committee blessed the bill unanimously without questions or debate, ranking it among the few bills to reach the floor without a down vote.

Cruz and proponents hope the proposal will curb the unemployment rate among military spouses, which hovered near 22% pre-pandemic.

The bill, she suggested, may also improve morale. “Happy wife, happy life,” she quipped.

Florida is home to more than 65,000 active duty service members, according to the Governor’s Office. It is also home to more than 1.4 million veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs projects Florida will have the second-highest veteran population by 2040.

Parkland Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky is the sponsor of the House version of the bill (HB 559). In November, she noted the ongoing hardships faced by military spouses nationwide.

“Military families get uprooted often, and in many of those cases, military spouses find themselves unable to work because of the wait time for their professional license registration in the new state,” Hunschofsky said.

The Democratic-led proposal comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis aims to make Florida the most military-friendly state in the nation.

In recent years, DeSantis — a Navy veteran — has signed a slew of bills bolstering career and education opportunities for service members and veterans.

Hunschofsky’s proposal will appear next before the House Health and Human Services Committee.

If signed into law, the proposal would take effect July 1.

Roughly 21 members of the Legislature are military veterans and six currently serve as Reservists or in the Florida National Guard, according to the Florida Veterans Foundation.