The following is an excerpt from the California Defense Communities Alliance’s (CDCA) October Newsletter
CDCA continues working on behalf of our California’s defense installations, military members and local communities in order to make progress on critical issues as we all adapt to the continuing challenges. CDCA will pursue actions that can help our communities and military families through reciprocal licensing for those already licensed by other state’s licensing or certifying agencies.
The 2019/2020 State Legislative session adjourned August 31, 2020. The majority of advocacy organization’s priority bills failed due to a de-prioritization of many bills that were not related to COVID-19. The number of bills submitted in 2020 was down about 15% from 2019. The Governor vetoed about 15% of the bills reaching his desk.
We will proceed during the upcoming legislative year to advocate for reciprocal licensing. The Regular Session convenes for the Organizational Session on December 7, 2020.
Data you may hold or be able to obtain including anecdotal experiences help build the arguments in favor of legislative actions. Licensing and certifying agencies need to know that lengthy procedures, arbitrary requirements and yet more duplicative testing has a negative impact on families but also state readiness and response in emergency situations. Request current data from your local military facility to help with metrics on the problems with spouse licensing and employment.
