Congressional support for the Military Spouse Hiring Act (H.R. 2033 | S. 1027) continues to grow, and the August recess is a great time to capitalize on the momentum. Constituent outreach is a key driver in moving legislation across the finish line, so take five minutes out of your busy schedule to send a message about this legislation to your lawmakers today.

[ACT NOW: Urge Lawmakers to Cosponsor the Military Spouse Hiring Act]

The Military Spouse Hiring Act will help address persistent high unemployment rates by incentivizing businesses to hire more military spouses. It will add a military spouse target group under the existing Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), which will help employers offset the costs of hiring and onboarding a new employee who will likely face a military-mandated move in two or three years.

[LEARN MORE: Understanding WOTC and the Military Spouse Hiring Act]

Unlike most bills MOAA supports, the Military Spouse Hiring Act is not referred to the House or Senate Armed Services committees. Because this is a tax-related bill, it falls under the jurisdiction of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee and will not be included in the annual National Defense Authorization Act. Some of these committee members may not frequently engage on issues impacting the military community, and their staffers may not be as familiar with the employment challenges military spouses face.

This is why MOAA member engagement is vital. You have an opportunity to educate these offices on the realities of PCS moves and the negative impact they have on spouse employment.

Using MOAA’s Legislative Action Center to send a letter to lawmakers is a great start, but if you are looking for opportunities to enhance your engagement, consider these steps:

1. Check Congress.gov to see whether your lawmaker is a cosponsor (House or Senate), then review the Military Spouse Hiring Act issue paper and state-specific data on military spouse employment to prepare.
   
   
2. Find your lawmaker’s contact info on their website and reach out by phone or email. Share that military spouse unemployment has been 20% or higher for over a decade, that adding a veteran target group to WOTC helped reduce veteran unemployment, and that the bill only costs money if spouses are hired.
   
   
3. Follow up one or two weeks later to ask if the lawmaker will cosponsor the bill and reinforce your support for the Military Spouse Hiring Act

If nuanced questions or concerns arise during a meeting with a staffer, jot them down and reach out to legis@moaa.org: A member of MOAA’s government relations team will follow up.

Lawmakers are considering a second reconciliation package during the August recess, as well as a tax extender package to reauthorize expiring tax credits. That’s why your increased engagement during this period is so important. Increasing awareness and support of the Military Spouse Hiring Act is key to ensuring this bill is included in the next tax package brought to the floor.

Keep up with the latest on this and other parts of our summer advocacy campaign by visiting MOAA.org/SummerAiA.