It's Now Easier For Military Spouses To Work In Ohio

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a bill into law on Monday that will make it easier for military spouses to work in the state.

Senate Bill 7 mandates that state agencies issue licenses or certificates if military members or their spouses are already licensed to work in another state.

Listen to the full Senate Bill 7 signing ceremony, which mandates state occupational licensing agencies to issue licenses/certificates to qualifying members of the military and their spouses who are licensed in another state but on military duty in Ohio.

During the signing at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Fairborn, DeWine said active duty military members tend to move about every three years. That can create a hardship for their spouses -- who might work in fields that require special licenses, such as medicine or education..

“Right now, spouses who relocate here with their activity husbands or wives face a difficult process to transfer their credentials and that is wrong. They should not have to face that.”

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, spouses of active duty military members face a 24 percent unemployment rate, and 56 percent of military spouses report being underemployed.

Among other officials attending the signing were Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Congressman Mike Turner, and State Sen. Peggy Lehner of Kettering.

Officials working on the bill say it took as much as two years to make its way through the legislature because they had to work with more than 40 licensing agencies in the state to pass it into law.

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