Obama inks military spouses residency bill

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama signed Wednesday a bill allowing spouses to retain home-state residency when moving with military service personnel.

The Military Spouses Residency Relief Act provides that when a service member is ordered to transfer, the spouse may keep home-state residency for voting and tax purposes after the relocation, the White House said in a release.

"When the military orders service members to move, spouses who move with them often have to pay taxes in a new state or locality and lose the right to vote in the place considered to be home," Obama said in a statement. "This legislation will alleviate these and other burdens on our military families."

He said the legislation was an "important means of maintaining the morale and readiness of our armed forces ... ."