Emmalee Gruesen considers herself a “a unicorn” among military spouses working for the federal government. She’s been able to keep steady employment as a program analyst with the Navy over the last eight years despite four moves with her husband, a naval officer.

Instead, many military spouses have been forced to resign their federal jobs because of their spouses’ transfers, losing out on benefits that accrue over years of continuous service.

To help those not so lucky, Gruesen teamed up with Army spouse Maria Donnelly and found a bipartisan team in Congress to introduce legislation this week that will require federal agencies to use already existing policies around remote work and non-pay status to support military spouses who want to build a career in federal service.