Stefanik introduces bills to support military families during relocations

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) recently introduced bills that would simplify relocations for military families and provide flexibility when they receive permanent change of station (PCS) report dates.

The Military Residency Choice Act, H.R. 282, would enable the spouses of service members to choose to use the same address as their spouse for voting and tax purposes — regardless of their marriage date.

“As the home of Fort Drum and the Kesselring Navy nuclear site, our district knows firsthand the critical role military families play in supporting our troops and providing for our national defense,” Stefanik said. “Military families make great sacrifices when relocating and transitioning to new schools, jobs and communities, and we must do all we can to help ease their burden. Military families serve too, and I am proud to introduce these commonsense measures to support these patriots.”

The Military Family Stability Act, H.R. 279, would provide military families more flexibility during a relocation to help military spouses and children transition into new schools, jobs and communities.

After a service member receives a PCS order, their spouse would be able to continue working at their current job for up to six months, or they could elect to move to the next location six months early in order to start a new full-time job. Additionally, military spouses and children enrolled in school would be given similar flexibility to best time a smooth transition into a new school.

Under the bill, service members would be able to exercise the option up to three times during their military career, and they would need to have at least 24 months of service left in order to exercise the option.