Military Spouses Residency Relief Act
Public Law 111-97 · S. 475 · 111th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Nov 11, 2009 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)
Cosponsors (44): Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Mike Johanns,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Military Spouses Residency Relief Act - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to prohibit, for purposes of voting for a federal, state, or local office, deeming a person to have lost a residence or domicile in a state, acquired a residence or domicile in any other state, or become a resident in or of any other state solely because the person is absent from a state because the person is accompanying the person's spouse who is absent from the state in compliance with military or naval orders.
Prohibits a servicemember's spouse from either losing or acquiring a residence or domicile for purposes of taxation because of being absent or present in any U.S. tax jurisdiction solely to be with the servicemember in compliance with the servicemember's military orders if the residence or domicile is the same for the servicemember and the spouse. Prohibits a spouse's income from being considered income earned in a tax jurisdiction if the spouse is not a resident or domiciliary of such jurisdiction when the spouse is in that jurisdiction solely to be with a servicemember serving under military orders.
Suspends land rights residency requirements for spouses accompanying servicemembers serving under military orders.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 1182Identical bill
Military Spouses Residency Relief Act
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 20 actions.
- Nov 11, 2009Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 111-97.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 4, 2009FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Nov 2, 2009FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 475.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Carson (IN) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- Sep 8, 2009FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- Aug 5, 2009FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Aug 4, 2009FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 15, 2009CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 108.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Reported by Senator Akaka without amendment. With written report No. 111-46. Supplemental views filed.
- May 21, 2009CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Apr 29, 2009CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 111-81.
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
- Feb 25, 2009CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.