Active-duty military personnel and their spouses will soon benefit in their employment endeavors due to a new law going into effect Thursday.
On Oct. 1 in Maryland, legislation known as the Modernizing Civil Relief for Service Members Act kicks in and allows active-duty service members and their spouses who relocate to the state pursuant to military orders to practice under a valid occupational or professional license issued by another state, provided they meet specified eligibility requirements and remain in good standing with their licensing authority.
The bill, signed into law May 26 by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, aims to reduce employment disruptions for military families while helping qualified professionals enter Maryland’s workforce quicker following a relocation. Previously, the process in Maryland could take months and put families in precarious financial positions.
Attorney Stephanie Rapp-Tully, a partner at Tully Rinckey PLLC, told Military.com this new law should help alleviate concerns held by some members of the military and their families who have to relocate due to their positions.
“There have been significant delays in being able to get to work when you relocate, and this law seeks to update that and allow individuals to apply and start to work immediately upon relocation,” Rapp-Tully said.
How Does the Law Work?
Individuals seeking to essentially transfer licenses from outside jurisdictions must, according to state law, do the following:
- Submit an application with proof of orders and other required documents.
- Be in good standing by the license issuing agency.
- Have no disciplinary action, no pending investigation related to unprofessional conduct, and have not voluntarily surrendered the license while under investigation.
State officials are also authorized to conduct a criminal history check and issue a temporary license if the review process takes more than 30 days.
Rapp-Tully said that this has been a bipartisan effort in Maryland over time, due to the state lagging in this department compared to others around the country.
“It’s been something that has been a problem and and and been looked at, and I think both sides of the aisle wanted to see this happen and [were] finally able to push through,” she said.
Military Families Should Reap the Benefits
“This legislation will help military families resume a sense of normal when they get to a new location in Maryland,” Rapp-Tully said. “Military families go through relocation countless times, and it can be very difficult for a multitude of reasons.
The effects can be huge, Rapp-Tully said, especially for those seeking financial contentment.
“But for a military spouse, it can be very difficult because if you don’t have an active license or a valid license in the state in which you’re moving to get a job and to get started back at work, that can cause financial heartache. They may have been relying on a dual income, and they need the second income to be able to get the house uploaded, to get everybody back to normal, and to really start making this relocation their new home.”
The new Maryland law builds upon nationalized efforts to make employment easier for military families at the peril of relocation. The state was also lagging behind the rest of the nation.
On Dec. 23, 2024, Congress made significant changes to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act – Public Law 118-159 (SCRA), allowing service members and their spouses to have professional licenses and certificates recognized in different jurisdictions. Federal law applies to all 50 states and supersedes state law.
States have varied nuances when it comes to issues pertaining to licenses.
Rapp-Tulley said that in Maryland’s case, prior to this new law going into effect, military members and spouses had to in some instances wait months due to specific occupations and types of licenses.
“It was a significant delay, and it did cause problems with people being able to interview to get jobs because they would not be able to use the license that they had from the state they’re coming from to get that job,” she said. “They weren’t necessarily looked at as qualified until that license was able to be used and had been accepted or issued by Maryland.
In the case of the state of Maryland, this could reap economic rewards—whether it’s a job in the medical profession or otherwise.
“It opens up qualified professionals to employers to be able to hire,” Rapp-Tully added. “An employer might be looking at someone, and the only reason that there is a problem is because of the barriers to licensing. And this would take that down. It would open up the job pool to these qualified candidates.”
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