Letter to the Hon. Mark Esper, Secretary of Defense and to the Hon. Barbara Barrett, Secretary of the Air Force - Colorado Congressional Delegation, Governor, Lieutenant Governor Highlight Transformative Legislation for Colorado's Military Families in Letter to Defense Department, Air Force

Letter

Dear Secretary Esper and Secretary Barrett:

We write to share an important update concerning military spouse licensure practices in Colorado, which will further improve the quality of life our state offers to military families. We recognize you have prioritized military spouse employment and licensure reciprocity as a key aspect of supporting service families by including it for consideration in the "community support" criteria for the U.S. Space Command basing decision and want to inform you of a recently passed state law on this topic.

Today, Governor Jared Polis signed into law Colorado House Bill 20-1326, the "Create Occupational Credential Portability Program Act." This important legislation creates an occupational portability program, which requires the director of the division of regulatory agencies and regulators to strive to reduce certification, registration, and licensure barriers for applicants across many occupations. More importantly, this legislation ensures Colorado provides universal license recognition for military spouses. It would also require the issuance of three-year temporary licenses to military spouses for all occupations subject to the regulatory authority of the state of Colorado -- at no cost to the applying military spouse.

The unanimous passage and signing of this important legislation into law is just one of the many ways that Colorado continues to demonstrate its support for the military. Supporting military families is an issue of readiness, retention and national security. Our state has made it a priority to ensure that military spouses are able to access employment opportunities that use their professional training and education. We applaud the Department of Defense and the Department of the Air Force for continuing to encourage communities across the nation to prioritize the welfare of our nation's military families. We hope you will recognize the steps Colorado continues to take in support of these goals further demonstrating that Colorado is the ideal location for the U.S. Space Command permanent headquarters.