Delgado’s Bipartisan Military Spouse Hiring Act Continues to Build Support

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Representative Antonio Delgado (NY-19) announced his bipartisan bill, H.R. 2912, the Military Spouse Hiring Act, has support from more than 40 House members on both sides of the aisle. The legislation incentivizes employers to hire spouses of members of the United States Armed Forces.

Currently, unemployment rates for military spouses far exceed that of the national average. Rep. Delgado’s bill would help close that gap by expanding the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to include the hiring of qualified military spouses, allowing employers to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those spouses.

“Military families make immense sacrifices for our country, and yet military spouses experience an unemployment rate of nearly 30 percent. The Military Spouse Hiring Act seeks to close this gap by expanding the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to incentivize the hiring of military spouses. I’m pleased to see so many of my colleagues voicing their support for this important priority that will address military spouse unemployment and benefit thousands of families in upstate New York and across the country,” said Rep. Delgado. “Supporting our military families should never be partisan, and I am pleased to see broad support for this bill on both sides of the aisle. I will keep fighting to move the Military Spouse Hiring Act through the House to close this hiring gap for the families of our nation’s servicemembers.”

Existing law already extends the Workforce Opportunity Tax Credit to employers that hire qualified military veterans, among other targeted groups. The Military Spouse Hiring Act would amend existing law to provide this tax incentive to employers who hire the spouses of servicemembers.