WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to build on efforts to reduce military spouse unemployment and improve access to affordable childcare.
The Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act of 2019 would change the tax code to incentivize businesses to hire military spouses and make it easier for military families to afford childcare.
“Supporting and increasing employment opportunities for military spouses has been one of my top priorities in the Senate,” said Senator Tillis. “This bipartisan legislation will build on the progress we have made over the last few years and incentivize businesses to hire military spouses.”
Military families frequently face financial insecurity due to spousal unemployment—which is an often overlooked military readiness issue—and obstacles to accessing quality, affordable childcare exacerbate these challenges. Unlocking the full talent of the nearly one million active duty, reserve and National Guard spouses would improve these families’ financial security while boosting their local economies.
The Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act includes two main provisions:
- Expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to incentivize businesses to hire military spouses. The tax credit is already offered to businesses that hire veterans and other populations that face employment obstacles.
- Makes flexible spending accounts available to military families so they can opt in to reserve pre-tax dollars from their paychecks to pay for out-of-pocket childcare expenses.
The legislation was introduced by Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Jon Tester (D-MT) and also cosponsored by Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).
The bill is endorsed by Blue Star Families, Military Officers Association of America, National Military Families Association and Servicewomen’s Action Network.
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