A bill that is meant to spur the hiring of military spouses was backed on Thursday by Democratic Rep. Antonio Delgado.
The bill was introduced with Democratic and Republican lawmakers. The goal of the measure is to provide incentives to businesses and employers to hire those who are married to members of the armed forces.
“Military families make immense sacrifices for our country, yet military spouses experience an unemployment rate of nearly 30 percent,” Delgado said. “Supporting military families is a top priority, and I’m proud to introduce legislation to address the military spouse unemployment crisis and empower thousands of families in Upstate New York and across the country,” said Rep. Delgado. “I thank my co-leads on both sides of the aisle for joining me to introduce the Military Spouse Hiring Act today.”
Lawmakers want to address the unemployment rates for military spouses, which exceed the national average. The proposal would expand the Working Opportunity Tax Credit to include hiring qualified military spouses. It would allow employers to claim a tax credit equal to the portion of the wages paid.