STUDY ON EMPLOYMENT OF MILITARY SPOUSES.

SEC. 567. STUDY ON EMPLOYMENT OF MILITARY SPOUSES. (a) Study.— (1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study to identify employment barriers affecting military spouses. (2) Elements.—The study conducted under paragraph (1) shall determine the following: (A) The rate or prevalence of military spouses who are currently employed and whether such military spouses have children. (B) The rate or prevalence of military spouses who are underemployed. (C) In connection with subparagraph (B), whether a military spouse would have taken a different position of employment if the military spouse were not impacted by the spouse who is a member of the Armed Forces. (D) The rate or prevalence of military spouses who, due to military affiliation, have experienced discrimination by civilian employers, including loss of employment, denial of a promotion, and difficulty in being hired. (E) Any other barriers of entry into the local workforce for military spouses, including— (i) state licensure requirements; (ii) availability of childcare; (iii) access to broadband; (iv) job availability in military communities; and (v) access to housing. (b) Report.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report containing the results of the study conducted under this section, including any policy recommendations to address employment barriers identified by the study. (c) Definitions.—In this section: (1) Military spouse.—The term “military spouse” means the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty. (2) Congressional defense committees.—The term “congressional defense committees” has the meaning given that term in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code.