Jason Delgado
The House on Friday passed a bill that would expedite the work license applications of military spouses who hold an out-of-state certification.
The lower chamber passed the bill unanimously, placing it among several military-related bills to pass off the House floor. That comes after a unanimous vote in the Senate late last month, making the bill ready for the Governor’s desk.
Tampa Democratic Sen. Janet Cruz is the bill sponsor (SB 562). Winter Springs Republican Rep. David Smith, a decorated Marine veteran, and Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky of Parkland are the companion bill sponsors.
Cruz and proponents hope the proposal will curb the unemployment rate among military spouses, which hovered near 22% pre-pandemic.
“Due to the nature of work in the military, families are frequently ordered to relocate to military posts across the world,” Cruz explained. “These frequent moves compound an already high unemployment rate for military spouses, who faced a 22% unemployment rate pre-COVID-19.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Navy veteran, and lawmakers have set a bipartisan goal of distinguishing Florida as the most military friendly state in the nation.
In recent years, DeSantis has signed a slew of bills boosting career and education opportunities for service members and veterans.
While several measures bolster veteran mental health and the children of active-duty service members, this proposal uniquely supports military spouses.
“Military families get uprooted often and, in many of those cases, military spouses find themselves unable to work for some time because of the wait time for their professional license,” Hunschofsky explained.
Roughly 21 lawmakers are military veterans and six currently serve as Reservists or in the Florida National Guard, according to the Florida Veterans Foundation. Smith served as a UH-1N helicopter pilot.
“This legislation will have a direct positive impact on the families of active-duty military and Florida veterans,” Smith said. “Our goal is to make Florida the most military friendly state in the nation, and this legislation gets us closer to that goal.”
The bill would take effect July 1 if signed into law.
