The Florida House today unanimously passed Senate Bill 562: Military Occupational Licensure, filed by Senator Janet Cruz (D-Tampa). Representative Christine Hunschofsky (D-Parkland) sponsored the companion bill in the House (House Bill 559). This legislation will provide military spouses who already hold professional licenses in another state, waived fees and expedited processing when applying for comparable Florida licenses when they move to Florida due to active-duty relocation.
Senator Cruz said that “due to the nature of work in the military, families are frequently ordered to relocate to military posts across the world. These frequent moves compound an already high unemployment rate for military spouses, who faced a 22% unemployment rate pre-COVID-19. This bill will prioritize the licensure applications of military spouses, waive their licensing fees, and get them credentialed and able to participate in Florida’s workforce as soon as possible.”
“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,” said Representative Hunschofsky. “By waiving the fee and expediting the process we are making life and finances just a little easier for our military families, continuing Florida’s goal of being the most military-friendly state in the United States.”
Representative David Smith (R-Winter Springs), Co-Prime Sponsor of the House Bill stated: “It was a true pleasure to work with Representative Christine Hunschofsky on this legislation. And also with Senator Janet Cruz too. This legislation will have a direct positive impact on the families of active duty military and Florida veterans. Our goal is to make Florida the most military friendly state in the nation, and this legislation gets us closer to that goal.
