By Erica Erwin Erie Times-News, Pa.
Apr. 1–New legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper aims to make one inevitable part of military life a little easier: moving.
Dahlkemper, of Erie, spent part of Wednesday morning in Erie promoting the Military Spouses Job Continuity Act, which offers a tax credit of up to $500 to any military spouse who has to renew or transfer a professional license because of a transfer order that takes a military family across state lines.
The tax credit would apply specifically to administrative fees paid to licensing boards or certificate-granting institutions, expenses not covered by existing programs.
Military life is a “privilege and a blessing,” but also challenging for soldiers and their families, Dahlkemper, D-3rd Dist., said at a news conference at the Intermodal Transportation Center on Erie’s east bayfront.
“Military families should not have financial burdens imposed on them, directly or indirectly” because of a transfer order, Dahlkemper said. “A fee to re-enter the work force for spouses is exactly the type of indirect cost that our military families should not have to incur.
“This tax credit will remove that extra, indirect cost and help spouses quickly re-enter the work force after a move,” she said. “Getting back to work after a move helps ease the stress of a (Permanent Change of Station) transfer and is another step in our commitment to supporting our troops and their families.”
Dahlkemper said the idea behind the legislation came from a discussion she had with a constituent in 2009, a member of the military who told her about the issues and expenses that came with moving.
Helping spouses with job transitions helps military members, Dahlkemper said.
“There are a lot of things we do to support our military men and women, but if they’re overseas trying to do their job for this country, but they’re worrying about their family, I think that sometimes affects their ability to work,” Dahlkemper said.
From 2008 to 2009, Dahlkemper’s office said, more than 1.1 million active-duty service members in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy received PCS orders.
Nicholas Combitchi, an Army veteran and chapter commander of the Erie chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, spoke in favor of the legislation at the news conference.
“Military life is something that brings me great pride, but it hasn’t always been easy,” Combitchi said. “We all know that moving is a fact of military life. It can be hard on your family to move so frequently, and it can be hard on you, the soldier.
” Congresswoman Dahlkemper’s plan will help military families and make the transitions from move to move easier,” he said.
Article Source: Professional License Renewal
