HLS 18RS-3382 ORIGINAL
2018 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 140
BY REPRESENTATIVES GAINES, ARMES, STEVE CARTER, COX, CREWS,
CROMER, FOIL, GISCLAIR, HAZEL, HOWARD, AND TERRY LANDRY
MILITARY AFFAIRS: Provides relative to the issuance of occupational or professional
licenses to military families in the state
1 A RESOLUTION
2To urge and request that all state professional and occupational licensing boards review and
3 implement existing Louisiana law as it relates to the issuance of occupational or
4 professional licenses to military families in the state.
5 WHEREAS, military spending in Louisiana accounts for a total annual economic
6impact of $7.7 billion that supports over 77,000 employees; and
7 WHEREAS, focusing on the mission is always the priority of our military service
8members, and one of the factors that military families cite most frequently as a drawback to
9military service is the ability of spouses to obtain jobs and sustain careers; and
10 WHEREAS, our military families relocate frequently and facilitating the ability of
11military spouses to continue their work in a new place of residence without delay or
12additional expense is important to the state's efforts to grow and maintain its military
13communities; and
14 WHEREAS, spouses in professionally licensed fields such as medical, legal,
15engineering, education, accounting, or the cosmetic arts face challenges due to delays or cost
16of transferring licenses to a new state or jurisdiction, and eliminating or mitigating these
17barriers will improve quality of life for our military families and ease the stress of
18transferring duty stations with consideration for long-term career implications; and
19 WHEREAS, R.S. 37:3651(C) requires a professional or occupational licensing board
20to "issue a license, certification, or registration to a military spouse to allow a military
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HR NO. 140
1spouse to lawfully practice" his or her occupation in Louisiana if the military spouse meets
2certain criteria; and
3 WHEREAS, R.S. 37:3651 also provides that when a military spouse is licensed in
4another state and that state's licensure standards are "substantially equivalent" to Louisiana
5standards, professional and occupational licensing boards are required to issue a temporary
6practice permit to the military spouse while he or she is satisfying any remaining
7requirements of Louisiana law; and
8 WHEREAS, Governor John Bel Edwards issued a letter on January 4, 2018, to over
9fifty of the state's professional licensing boards urging them to review and implement these
10existing provisions of Louisiana law as they relate to military spouses seeking a professional
11license in Louisiana upon relocation.
12 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
13Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request that all Louisiana state professional
14or occupational licensing boards review and implement these existing provisions of R.S.
1537:3651 and issue a license, certification, or registration to a military-trained applicant or
16military spouse to allow the applicant to lawfully practice the applicant's occupation in this
17state.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 140 Original 2018 Regular Session Gaines
Requests that all La. state professional or occupational licensing boards follow the true intent
and requirements of present law (R.S. 37:3651) regarding the issuance of professional or
occupational licenses, certificates, or registration to a military-trained applicant or military
spouse.
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