Bay Ridge

Brooklyn pols look to help military spouses find jobs

Bill would make transferring out-of-state licenses easier

June 7, 2016 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Assembly members Felix Ortiz and Nicole Malliotakis said New York State should be doing more to help military service members and their families. Eagle photo by Paula Katinas
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When military members are transferred from one base to another across the country, the move also affects their families, as spouses and children are uprooted and forced to start all over again in new places.

In an effort to provide some relief, the New York State Legislature recently passed a bill aimed at easing the way for military spouses seeking to continue careers in the private sector.

The legislation, which is awaiting Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s signature, would provide for expedited licensing of military spouses with out-of-state professional licenses. The bill would make it easier for a military wife or husband with a license from outside of New York to teach or cut hair or perform any one of a number of professional duties to transfer the license to New York state.

On June 3, two Brooklyn Assembly members, Felix Ortiz and Nicole Malliotakis, held a press conference in Bay Ridge to call on Cuomo to sign the bill into law.

“If a spouse has a license, they can now practice in New York state,” Ortiz (D-Sunset Park-parts of Bay Ridge) said at the press conference, which took place in Stedman Square, a small park on Third Avenue and 68th Street located in between the two lawmakers’ districts.

The idea behind the legislation is “to make sure they will be able to work,” said Ortiz, who is the assistant Assembly speaker.

“The stress borne by military veterans and their families is almost unimaginable,” said Malliotakis (R-C- Bay Ridge-Staten Island). “We have a duty to support these men and women who have given their all to protect our freedoms and keep our nation safe.” 

The legislation is of particular interest to Ortiz and Malliotakis, because the U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Hamilton is located in Bay Ridge.

When asked by the Brooklyn Eagle if Cuomo planned to sign the licensing bill, a spokesperson for the governor forwarded to the newspaper a statement made March 8 by Eric J. Hesse, director of the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs. At the time, the state Senate had passed the bill, but the Assembly had yet to take action.

“New York has the dubious distinction of being the only state in the nation that has failed to pass a law that honors the professional licensure of military spouses recognized in other states. This absurd inequity strains military families who are relocated on orders in the service of their nation, and creates unnecessary roadblocks for spouses to practice their careers and help provide for their families. The governor strongly supports this bill, which the New York State Senate has previously passed, and has agreed to swiftly sign legislation it in order to right this wrong,” Hesse stated.

At the June 3 press conference, Ortiz and Malliotakis also touted another bill, one that would establish a certified peer counselors program for veterans who suffer from mental illness, alcohol abuse or chemical dependence.

The legislation, which has been passed by the Assembly, has been sent to the state Senate. The two Brooklyn lawmakers called on the Senate to pass the bill.

Peer support programs are critical factors in helping veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), according to Ortiz and Malliotakis, who said the programs enable veterans to build healthier and positive relationships and become more productive in dealing with stress.

The senate’s Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities is looking at the bill.

Ortiz and Malliotakis both said that the state’s treatment of military veterans took a big step forward when Cuomo signed the Veterans Equality Act, a law that will allow public employees who are veterans to buy back up to three years of state service credit toward their pensions. 

The new law will allow military veterans who work for the state to receive larger retirement pensions.

Under prior laws, many veterans who participated in active duty were excluded from receiving this military service credit. “This bill rectifies it,” Malliotakis said.

The class of veterans the law seeks to help includes those who served in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bosnia and Haiti, as well as others who provided military personnel aid in areas such as Israel, Turkey and Germany.

Ortiz and Malliotakis were co-sponsors of the Veterans Equality Act. Malliotakis noted that Cuomo signed the law on May 31, the day after Memorial Day.

 

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