October 23, 2009 
Sarah Blansett | Military.com
McLean, Virginia Thursday – Thursday’s debate over the Defense Authorization Bill will not include one act many military spouses had hoped for: the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act. The provision to exempt military spouses from residency requirements was removed from the Defense Authorization Bill on Oct. 13 due to issues with jurisdiction at the request of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
The Military Spouses Residency Relief Act would enable military spouses to establish a permanent home of record in a state where they owned property or intended to retire. Currently, military members are allowed this benefit, but spouses are not and many have to change their state of residence as often as every two years.
Meredith Leyva, military wife and author of the book “Married to the Military” explained the impact the passage or non-passage of this act on military families. “There is a lot of stress associated with constant moves which are a part of the military culture. Add to that the need to change your residency, vehicle registration, driver’s license and having to pay taxes in more than one state really creates an extra burden. In some cases if you are required to leave a tour early you end up losing the portion of the money you spent to license your car only to have to do the same thing in the next state. More importantly, the working spouses must pay taxes in each of the states they live in so they may actually lose family income going from a state with no income tax to one with a high income tax.”
The Veterans’ Affairs Committee objected to the act being included with the Defense Authorization Bill and requested it be removed so that the committee could take up the act on its own with the proper jurisdiction. The act could also be passed if both the Senate and House draft matching bills.
Support for the act among military spouses is high; the movement has a Facebook page and websites dedicated to military families are urging lawmakers to give the act another chance at becoming law. Leyva added, “The sentiment among military spouses is that the government should give us the same 'federal' status so we can simply homestead in one state as our service members currently do."
Military.com is the nation’s largest military and veteran online news and membership organization serving active duty personnel, reservists, guard members, retirees, veterans, family members, defense workers and those considering military careers. Military.com enables Americans with military affinity to access their benefits, advance their careers, enjoy military discounts, and stay connected for life. Military.com is a business unit of Monster Worldwide, Inc. More information is available at www.military.com.