On Tuesday, the House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures heard testimony on Senate Bill 1200, relating to the authority of military spouses to engage in a business or occupation in the state of Texas. Lori Stinson, the Chamber’s Vice President of Military Affairs and Leadership Development, provided testimony for a second time in relation to this bill. This time specific emphasis was placed on the impact of this legislation on businesses and the San Antonio economy.
Stinson was able to provide collective support for this vital piece of legislation on behalf of the Chamber, primarily in her role as Vice Chair of the Governor’s Committee on Military Support. The Governor’s Committee, along with the Chamber’s Military Affairs Council, identified military spouse employment as a high priority.
In San Antonio, the healthcare and bioscience industry is a vital part of our community, as one out of every six people employed in San Antonio are employed in this sector. One of the unique assets that we celebrate is the collaboration between military medicine and our private healthcare system from all levels of research to healthcare services. We are always in search of a qualified and talented workforce and enabling a seamless entry into an important healthcare career is a benefit not only to the individual military spouse, but to the organization in which they will work and provide compassionate care.
“Not only is the issue of certification and licensure an issue for our Military spouses, it is also an issue which impacts business,” Stinson said. “With the growing shortage of nurses and teachers, having a ready to hire, qualified talent pool of licensed and certified professionals can be seen as a natural match. These individuals are eager to work, gain access to caring for patients and students and are uniquely suited to develop important working relationships in the community.”
Additional time out of the workforce to update certifications and additional costs to pay for required licensing takes these military spouses out of their profession and creates an economic strain on their families, as well. One in three spouses work in a career field where certification and licensing is a requirement.
In a letter signed by all three military service secretaries outlining ways state leadership can better support service members, we can determine that the phrase “We recruit the Service Member and retain the Family,” is a call to action for our Texas communities, and in San Antonio we are listening. We are eager for our legislators to lead the way with this comprehensive and broad-spectrum bill to enable our Military Spouses a smooth transition into their careers in Texas.
