2018 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 184
BY SENATORS PERRY, BISHOP, FANNIN AND TARVER
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request that all state professional and occupational licensing boards review and
implement existing Louisiana law as it relates to the issuance of occupational or
professional licenses to military families in the state.
WHEREAS, military spending in Louisiana accounts for a total annual economic
impact of $7.7 billion that supports over 77,000 employees; and
WHEREAS, focusing on the mission is always the priority of our military service
members, and one of the factors that military families cite most frequently as a drawback to
military service is the ability of spouses to obtain jobs and sustain careers; and
WHEREAS, our military families relocate frequently and facilitating the ability of
military spouses to continue their work in a new place of residence without delay or
additional expense is important to the state's efforts to grow and maintain its military
communities; and
WHEREAS, spouses in professionally licensed fields such as medical, legal,
engineering, education, accounting, or the cosmetic arts face challenges due to delays or cost
of transferring licenses to a new state or jurisdiction, and eliminating or mitigating these
barriers will improve quality of life for our military families and ease the stress of
transferring duty stations with consideration for long-term career implications; and
WHEREAS, R.S. 37:3651(C) requires a professional or occupational licensing board
to "issue a license, certification, or registration to a military spouse to allow a military
spouse to lawfully practice" his or her occupation in Louisiana if the military spouse meets
certain criteria; and
WHEREAS, R.S. 37:3651 also provides that when a military spouse is licensed in
another state and that state's licensure standards are "substantially equivalent" to Louisiana
standards, professional and occupational licensing boards are required to issue a temporary
practice permit to the military spouse while he or she is satisfying any remaining
requirements of Louisiana law; and
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WHEREAS, Governor John Bel Edwards issued a letter on January 4, 2018, to over
fifty of the state's professional licensing boards urging them to review and implement these
existing provisions of Louisiana law as they relate to military spouses seeking a professional
license in Louisiana upon relocation.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby urge and request that all Louisiana state professional or occupational licensing
boards review and implement these existing provisions of R.S. 37:3651 and issue a license,
certification, or registration to a military-trained applicant or military spouse to allow the
applicant to lawfully practice the applicant's occupation in this state.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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