Samantha Mahon worked as a paramedic in Charleston, S.C. when, in 2011, her husband, a sailor in the United States Navy, got orders to Norfolk, Va.

Because Virginia offered reciprocity, or the ability to practice her job under the license of a different state, she was able to continue working as a paramedic after the move, in Portsmouth, Va., for a private transport company.

But when her daughter started experiencing seizures, and she needed more time off to take care of her and her two young sons, she quit her job in hopes of finding a more family-friendly, flexible career path.

While seeing her daughter through brain surgery, she went through esthetician’s school, finishing in early 2013 and working as a licensed esthetician immediately.

Then her husband got orders for a move to Kings Bay, Ga., in November 2013.

During the move, she contacted the Georgia licensing boards, but they were largely unreceptive to helping her find future employment there until she had a Georgia mailing address.

So she completed the move and inquired into continuing her private esthetician in her state of residence.

She put in her application and application fee - $75 – and was immediately denied a Georgia esthetician’s license because Georgia requires 1,000 hours of cosmetology school, where Virginia only required 700.

“It’s so hard to weed through because there are so many requirements from state to state.  It’s ridiculous.  And no one is at all helpful,” she said.

Not willing to give up yet, Mahon spoke with the state, who agreed that if she worked under a Georgia-licensed esthetician for the additional 300 hours, she would meet the Georgia requirements, even though she had already worked as an esthetician in Virginia for six months after she finished school.

So she found a job working as a receptionist at a salon, paying $8 an hour.  Meanwhile, her childcare costs were $10 an hour, so she was only able to swing that for two months before she quit.

She’s now a certified birth doula, a partner and couch for laboring and delivering pregnant women, because no state licenses doulas, and they can move and maintain a job and income and certification.

Moving is expensive and can be costly, especially for military spouses like Mahon, who do so frequently and often carry a stigma with them when applying for jobs in their new home state.

Which is why the federal government has reviewed and considered some variation of compensation for wives leaving jobs and licenses when PCS-ing to a different state since 2009.

And currently the Military Spouse Job Continuity Act of 2015 is before the Ways and Means Committee in Congress, hoping to cushion the financial blow from seeking a new license after a PCS, said Karen A. Golden, deputy director of government relations for the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).

“The act would credit $500 against your taxable income for spouses seeking a new license or certification following a PCS,” Golden said.

For example, if a dental hygienist moves from Pennsylvania to Tennessee on the military’s orders and incurs a $250 licensing fee to work as a dental hygienist in her state of residence, she can apply for a tax credit of up to $500 on her federal income taxes that year.

This applies to anyone making a stateside move as a military spouse and has a wide range of effect, Golden said.

Bartenders, nail technicians teachers, nurses, social workers, and estheticians like Mahon – plus many others - all could benefit from the Act, Golden said.

According to the 2014 spouse employment report by MOAA, military spouses spend an average of $280 on licensing fees after a PCS, and 35 percent of all working military spouses need state licenses or certifications to legally do their job.

“This is impactful to many,” Golden said.

Which is why MOAA has been “making a concentrated effort to visit congressional representative’s offices” to educate them about the importance of the bill for military families, Golden said.

Military spouses who want to lobby congressional representatives themselves can find a message here - http://capwiz.com/moaa/issues/bills/?bill=64083976 - which they can personalize.