State and National Guard. Under Washington law, the organized militia of the state refers to the Washington State Guard, the Army National Guard, and the Air National Guard.  All three services serve under the command of the Governor and directed by the adjutant general, except that the National Guard may be called upon by the U.S. President to serve as part of the total U.S. military. 

United States Armed Forces and Uniformed Services. Under federal law, the U.S. armed forces are the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard. Established in 2019, the U.S. Space Force is the newest branch of the armed forces. Members of the Space Force are called Guardians.

Federal law defines the uniformed services as the U.S armed forces, the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officer Corps.  

Washington Service Members' Civil Relief Act. Washington Service Members' Civil Relief Act (WSCRA) applies to military members and their dependents whose financial and legal obligations may be impacted by active military duty. WSCRA's main provisions provide rights with respect to default judgments and stays in civil proceedings. WSCRA also contains provisions restricting contract fines and penalties, restructuring interest rates on certain business loans, and tolling statutes of limitations during military service periods.

Credit for Military Service in State-Sponsored and City Retirement Systems. State-sponsored retirement systems provide credit to combat veterans for interruptive military service for up to five years of service. In order to be eligible for the benefit, veterans generally must have received an honorable discharge or other excusable discharge.

License Extensions for Licenses for Military Veterans. A moratorium is authorized on the expiration of a valid license issued by the Department of Licensing during the time a licensee serves in the armed forces, the USPHS Commissioned Corps, or the U.S. Merchant Marines. 

Military Veteran Hiring and Scoring Preferences on Civil Service Exams. Military veterans are eligible for scoring preferences on all state and local government civil service exams.

Veteran Employment Rights. Members of military uniformed services cannot be denied employment, reemployment, job retention, promotion, or any benefit of employment on the basis of military service. Any veteran entitled to be restored to a position must be restored without loss of seniority and may not be discharged without cause within one year of restoration. 

The Legislature has also established a permissive preference in private employment for certain veterans. In private, nonpublic employment, veterans and their widows or widowers may be preferred for employment. Spouses of honorably discharged veterans with a service-connected permanent and total disability may also be preferred for employment. These preferences are not considered violations of any state or local equal employment opportunity laws or laws prohibiting discrimination. 

Recognizing the United States Space Force as Part of the Organized Militia of the State. Space Force Guardians are added to the definition of members of the organized militia of the state.

Expanding the Definitions of Military Veterans and Service Members. The definitions used to qualify persons for particular benefits for military veterans and service members are expanded to:

• members of the USPHS Commissioned Corps and NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps are included in the following preferences for:
  1. protection under WSCRA;
  2. state-sponsored fire, police, and public employee retirement systems; and
  3. state and local civil service exams; 
• members of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps are eligible for license extensions for licenses issued by the Department of Licensing;
• members of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and spouses of active-duty service members and veterans are included in military veteran employment protections; and 
• members of the U.S. Space Force and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and their widows or widowers, spouses of active-duty service members, and spouses of honorably discharged veterans with a service-connected permanent and total disability are included in the permissive preferences allowed in private employment. 

PRO: Members of the armed forces, uniformed services, and their families dedicate themselves to a cause we all respect. The uniformed services should be included alongside the armed forces in the benefits and opportunities they get. Providing employment opportunities to spouses of active-duty military members increases stability at home and acknowledges the importance of the family unit for those who serve. Creating parity between service branches reduces waste and confusion. This bill includes service members because they are actually deserving of our support.

By reducing barriers to service, and including more individuals in incentive structures, we can address staffing shortfalls at a low administrative cost. Preferential employment opportunities foster career continuity in the lives of our service members. When the Space Force became a branch of the armed forces in 2019, the U.S. Department of Defense started to work with state legislatures to have the new force recognized in state laws. This was a major effort, and the Department of Defense commends this bill.