ANNAPOLIS, MD — Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller and First Lady Dawn Moore today testified in front of the House Economic Matters Committee in support of the
Families Serve Act of 2024. Lt. Governor Miller and First Lady Moore spoke on how the legislation will create stronger pathways to employment for military families by allowing private sector employers to implement preferential hiring for spouses of active duty servicemembers. The bill also expands upon the preferential hiring processes currently in place in state government for veterans to include military spouses.
“The ability for military spouses to have financial security not only impacts their financial independence but enables their partner, our service members, to continue to serve our nation – this is what the Families Serve Act is all about,”
said Lt. Gov. Miller. “I look forward to working together to make good on our shared commitment we owe to our servicemembers and to their loved ones through the Moore-Miller administration’s legislative package and the numerous other military family bills introduced this session that will help us make 2024 the Year for Military Families in Maryland.”
“The governor has been very clear that we need to make Maryland more economically competitive and make Maryland the state that serves — and if we want to meet both of these goals, we need to support our military spouses, ”
said First Lady Moore. “Now is the time for us to break down silos, join in partnership, and move forward with a strong agenda that supports our military families. The Families Serve Act is central to that mission and our responsibility as a state to support our military families.”
First Lady Moore’s testimony marks the first time in nearly 20 years that a First Lady has testified in support of legislation. The lieutenant governor and first lady will testify in the Senate Finance Committee hearing for the Families Serve Act later this month.
The legislation, part of the Moore-Miller Administration’s 2024 legislative package, supports the governor’s commitment to making Maryland the state that serves.
The Families Serve Act (SB 478/HB 604) supports Maryland’s military families by expanding job opportunities for military spouses. Military families make sacrifices to support the work of their servicemember spouses, and parents. The bill incentivizes both businesses and state governments to provide hiring preferences for military spouses, thereby improving employment opportunities and economic opportunities for military families.