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Press Releases

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Jon Tester (D-MT) to introduce the Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act of 2018. This legislation would change the tax code to incentivize businesses to hire military spouses and make it easier for military families to afford childcare.

Military families frequently face financial insecurity due to spousal unemployment, which impacts the overall success of our military. Somewhere between 12 and 25 percent of military spouses are unemployed. 

“Military spouses are vital to our all-volunteer force. They make sacrifices, like taking on family duties during long deployments and supporting frequent moves, and they do it mostly without recognition. As a result, they face a unique set of challenges that make career advancement more difficult. This is a thoughtful approach to help ease the burden on our military families by improving employment opportunities for spouses,” Boozman said. 

The Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act encourages businesses to step up and play a bigger role in hiring military spouses who already sacrifice so much,” Kaine said. “And it further addresses a real obstacle to professional success for many military families: access to quality, affordable childcare. Addressing these issues will help military spouses advance in their careers despite frequent moves, and if we can do something to make life easier for our country’s military families, we should.” 

“Our nation’s military spouses are no stranger to service and sacrifice,” Tester said. “This bipartisan bill will help provide more opportunities for them and ease the financial stress that so many military families face in the defense of our nation.”    

Specific provisions of the Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act:

  • Work Opportunity Tax Credit
    • Expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to incentivize businesses to hire military spouses, similar to veterans and other populations that face employment obstacles.
  • Dependent Care Savings Accounts
    • 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 Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act is endorsed by Blue Star Families, Military Officers Association of America, National Military Families Association and the Military Family Advisory Network.

For the full text of the bill, click here.