New Proposal Could Impact Military Spouse Employment

On Wednesday, June 14, NMFA provided testimony on the Hill on behalf of military families, specifically those who need or want two incomes but have to get by with one.

Active-duty military spouses have faced an unemployment rate of more than 20 percent for over a decade.

A well-intentioned proposal to expand the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) to military spouses could make things even more difficult for spouses looking for work.

“The Devil’s in the detail,” said Representative Derrick Van Orden, Chairman of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

We believe businesses will be more hesitant to hire military spouses due to potential litigation, costs, and administrative burdens and how the legislation possibly conflicts with state laws relating to pension systems.

Instead, we are advocating for two critical solutions: expansion of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to include military spouses and tracking of military spouse unemployment by the Department of Labor.

We appreciate the subcommittee holding a hearing to discuss this legislation and their interest in working to find ways to alleviate the problem of military spouse unemployment. We look forward to working with them on future policy efforts to address this issue.

You can read the Association’s testimony here.