February 23, 2015
By Stephanie West
Long Island, NY – Assemblyman Michael Montesano (R,C,I-Glen Head) is sponsoring legislation to allow spouses of military personnel to practice their licensed profession upon arrival in New York, free from the bureaucratic regulations currently in place.
If passed, Assembly Bill 4394 would recognize an equivalent out-of-state license to allow a military spouse to practice their occupation without delay. Bills have been introduced in both houses of the Legislature.
In 2014, this legislation was passed unanimously by the Senate. However, it was blocked by the Assembly Majority in the Higher Education Committee and never brought to the floor for a vote.
“It is disheartening that New York is one of just three states that have not streamlined this costly, time-consuming, bureaucratic process,” said Montesano. “When military families are stationed in New York we should welcome all family members, rather than discouraging them from pursing their occupation in their new residence. We need to pass this legislation immediately, and remove these licensing obstacles that military spouses have been wrongly burdened with.”
According to New York’s Labor Department, there are 126 occupations that require a state license. Under current law, spouses of military personnel who practice one of the listed professions are required to submit paperwork for processing and pay exorbitant fees to obtain a license that they were already granted prior to moving to the Empire State.
