R Street Institute
Policy Studies State Policy

Georgia Should Help Military Spouses Enter The Workforce

by Marc Hyden AND C. Jarrett Dieterle
Jan 6, 2020
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Authors

Marc Hyden
Marc Hyden
Director, State Government Affairs
Jarrett Dieterle
C. Jarrett Dieterle
Resident Senior Fellow, Competition Policy

Key Points

Recognizing out-of-state military spouse licenses will help them get back to work and provide for their families, make it less likely that they will seek taxpayer funded assistance, and boost reenlistment rates.

If they are, in fact, married to a servicemember who has been transferred and have a current occupational license in good standing, then Georgia ought not prevent them from working. Rather, the state should remove licensing boards’ discretion over whether to recognize out-of-state licenses and allow military spouse licensure portability across state lines. Doing so would greatly benefit an untold number of Georgians and the operability of the United States military.

Press Release

Georgia Should Help Military Spouses with Occupational Licenses Get Back to Work

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Introduction

Nearly 30 percent of Americans must have an occupational license in order to work. Each license has a unique set of requirements, which makes it more difficult to get a job. Indeed, Georgia has the nation’s 14th most burdensome professional licensing regime, mandating—on average—the passage of two exams, over 460 days of costly education and experience, and $185 in fees.

While these stipulations are taxing, they are especially onerous to individuals like military spouses who frequently relocate—usually through no choice of their own—and must acquire a new license after every move. Thankfully, there are ways to ease their burdens and make it easier for them to get to work by creating a system in which their licenses are more readily transferable from state to state.

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