Federal estimates suggest Indiana will likely see its veteran population decrease over the next decades. The state is expected to see an almost 20 percent decline in veterans under 40 by 2048, while the total number of veterans between 40 and 64 years old is expected to drop by about half.

State lawmakers considered and passed several bills during this year’s legislative session aiming to make Indiana more attractive to veterans. Those efforts include a new law that allows servicemembers and their families to more easily get occupational licenses in Indiana.

Occupational licenses can be a barrier for people who want to move between states and get the same job without entirely redoing the licensing process.

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Among other laws easing or removing that barrier, Indiana has long let servicemembers and military spouses get a license in Indiana if they had a similar license in another state for two years prior. The new law, HEA 1555, shortens the requirement to one year and extends the opportunity to service members’ adult children.

State Rep. Chris May (R-Bedford) authored the law.

“This bill came to me from Radius Indiana. It’s an eight-member economic development corporation in southern Indiana that encompasses the Crane military base,” May said. “Radius has been doing a lot of veterans recruitment in the area. And this is a challenge that had come before them.”

The new law went into effect in July. Previous laws also already allowed veterans to get licenses based on training done in the military.

The new law does include one caveat based on a request from the Indiana Association of Realtors. While other occupational licenses can be gained regardless of the applicant’s residency status under this law, servicemembers or their families would have to be full residents of the state to switch their real estate broker or appraiser license to Indiana.

Adam is our labor and employment reporter. Contact him at arayes@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @arayesIPB.