Featured artwork by Courtney Chauvin.

Three weeks ago, we informed you about a coordinated passionate effort by the National Military Spouse Network to “Storm the Hilll” (as in Capitol Hill). Military spouses everywhere called upon Congress to reduce employment barriers faced by the husbands and wives of America’s soldiers. (See WOTC for Military Spouses – Encouragement for Unsung Heroes).

One of the group’s goals is to expand the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program to include military spouses as a target group. Their efforts are being rewarded.

On May 22, Representative Antonio Delgado (D, New York) and a bipartisan group of five co-sponsors introduced H.R. 2912, a bill “to make employers of spouses of military personnel eligible for the work opportunity credit.” The full text of this bill has not yet been released.

On May 28 and 30, seven additional cosponsors joined the bill. Supporters currently include:

• Bacon, Don R-NE-2*
• Beyer, Donald S., Jr. D-VA-8*
• Cohen, Steve D-TN-9
• Delgado, Antonio D-NY-19*
• Gabbard, Tulsi D-HI-2
• Kelly, Mike R-PA-16*
• Khanna, Ro D-CA-17
• Kim, Andy D-NJ-3
• McMorris Rodgers, Cathy R-WA-5*
• Pallone, Frank, Jr. D-NJ-6
• Panetta, Jimmy D-CA-20*
• Speier, Jackie D-CA-14
• Takano, Mark D-CA-41

The WOTC program offers a federal income tax credit to employers that hire qualifying veterans and members of other groups that face higher-than-usual unemployment rates. The tax credit ranges between $2,400 and $9,600 for each qualifying hire, depending on the amount of wages paid and the reason an employee qualifies. Most employers already hire eligible employees.