Senate panel advances bill to expedite professional licensure for service members and military spouses

Senate File 119, a bill to speed professional licensure for active-duty service members, recently separated veterans and military spouses, passed the Senate Transportation, Highways & Military Affairs Committee after testimony from military representatives, local officials and military spouses.

The measure would require a professional or occupational licensing board to issue a license or a temporary practice permit within 30 days of receiving an application from a qualifying applicant who holds a substantially equivalent out‑of‑state license. The bill defines eligible applicants to include active duty service members, spouses and people honorably discharged within two years. It also requires boards to adopt rules and to offer online applications; the bill sets a July 1, 2025, effective date.

Supporters say the change responds to delays that keep military spouses from working when families relocate for military orders. Sponsor Senator Bonar told the committee he drafted the bill after hearing that…