Rep. Delgado Secures 100 Bipartisan Cosponsors for his Military Spouse Hiring Act

Statement

Today, U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado (NY-19) announced that his bipartisan bill, the Military Spouse Hiring Act, has earned support from 100 House members, both Democrats and Republicans. The legislation addresses high military spouse unemployment rates by expanding the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to include the hiring of military spouses. This incentivizes employers to hire military spouses by allowing them to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those spouses.

"Military spouses and families make huge sacrifices as their loved ones work to keep our country safe and secure," said Rep. Delgado. "We have a responsibility to take care of our service members, veterans, and their families. This includes closing the unemployment gap for military spouses. I am so glad to see momentum on this critical legislation and appreciate the 100 bipartisan colleagues who support the bill. I will keep pushing to get it done and help ensure our military spouses and families have the support and resources they deserve."

Rep. Delgado is a strong advocate for military spouses and has been pushing to get his bipartisan Military Spouse Hiring Act across the finish line. Recently, Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Boozman (R-AR), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

In January, Delgado spoke with President and Founder of the National Military Spouse Network Sue Hoppin about the importance of hiring military spouses and passing this bill. Delgado's bill, reintroduced in June 2021, builds on his work to support military and veteran families. In Delgado's first term, his bipartisan Service-Disabled Veterans Small Business Continuation Act was signed into law by President Trump. This bill ensures that when a veteran business owner passes away, the surviving spouse maintains federal contracting preference for that business for a period of time. President Trump also signed Rep. Delgado's Fairness for Local Veteran Cemeteries Act and Improving Benefits for Underserved Veterans Act legislation into law.