Kaine Military Spouse Provisions in FY19 NDAA
In early 2018, Kaine introduced the
Military Spouse Employment Act
and the
Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act
to take steps to reduce military spouse unemployment and examine the effects of frequent moves and reassignments
on military spouses’ careers. The majority of
provisions from those two bills were included in the FY 2019 NDAA that came out of the conference committee between the House and Senate. Somewhere between 12% and 25% of military spouses are unemployed
—
with an additional 25% facing underemployment (meaning they are underpaid or have skills that are underutilized compared to their training)
—
causing negative ripple effects across the military. Military families frequently face financial insecurity due to spousal unemployment, which is an often overlooked military readiness issue, and the lack of access to quality, affordable childcare exacerbates these challenges.
Below is a list of provisions from Kaine’s two bills that made it in the
final NDAA:
Modifies Federal Hiring Authority:
o
Modifies federal hiring authority so that federal agencies can expedite the hiring of a candidate who is a military spouse. The most desirable jobs near military installations are often federal positions.
Expands Small Business Opportunities for Military Spouses on Military Installations:
o
Recognizing that spouses have faced obstacles to starting small businesses on base, this legislation encourages the Department of Defense (DoD) to submit a plan on how to best facilitate military spouse entrepreneurship on military installations.
Instructs the DoD to Evaluate Impact of Frequent Moves on Families
o
The legislation instructs the DoD to evaluate the impact that frequent moves have on military families and report to Congress on its findings.
Instructs the DoD to expand educational opportunities for military spouses
o
Instructs the DoD to evaluate how to expand and advertise existing career training programs to military spouses. This includes ensuring existing installation career counselors have the most helpful information for spouses and that spouses are aware of the potentially under-utilized Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA), which provides scholarships for spouses to pursue associate degrees, certificates, and professional licenses.
Increases access to affordable child care for military families
o
Given that a lack of access to affordable child care increases spouse unemployment, this bill instructs the DoD to implement a program designed to increase the number of cleared childcare providers and requires the DoD to assess whether each duty station is allotted the right number of childcare subsidies for the number of families requesting them.
Encourages DoD to Establish Dependent Care Savings Accounts:
o
Considering the unique life events uniformed servicemember families experience, including frequent moves and deployments, this legislation strongly encourages DoD to make flexible spending accounts available to military families so they can