Bill to ease residency hassles for military spouses

[Guest]

[IJK3770]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress on Monday sent President Obama a bill that allows military spouses to claim residency in the same state as their wives or husbands.

Under current law, service members can choose to keep their original residency as they relocate.

Spouses who lobbied for the change said having that same right would prevent hassles associated with every move, such as obtaining a new driver's license and reregistering to vote. In some cases, it also eliminates the need for couples to file separate tax returns and lowers the income taxes that some spouses pay.

Moving is a ritual repeated nearly every three years on average for military families.

The House passed the legislation on a voice vote. Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, a bill sponsor who represents Fort Hood, Texas, said it would give "invaluable relief to numerous military spouses who regularly uproot their entire lives to accommodate our Armed Forces."

Carter said in a statement that he expects Obama to sign the legislation into law in the next few days.

The legislation had already won approval in the Senate, where it was sponsored by Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the bill's financial impact would be minimal.

Source: http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=ozarksnow&sParam=36696226.story

[DoggyDaddy]

This was never a problem for my wife while serving in  military.  She never changed
her drivers license, voted absentee and joint return.  If she or I had a job working
outside our state of residence, then we filed a state tax return for income earned in
that state.

Example:  In the military I was CA resident, paid CA State tax.  While living & assigned
in Indiana I worked part time and wife worked full time.  We paid CA state tax on my
military income and  filed Non-resident Indiana State taxfor income earned in Indiana.

See no purpose for this legislation.  Full time RV'ers have one home state of residency,
one drivers license of same state, vote absentee, file taxes for their recorded state of
residence, and only need to file other state taxes if working out of the home state.

[IJK3770]

Doggy Daddy,
    I can remember my Mom getting a ticket in your great state of CA because she still had a Mo drivers license a short while after she married my step-father and we moved to Long Beach where he was stationed.
IJK