Chisum Marriage Strengthening Bill Passes out of House Committee

Just minutes ago, the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee passed HB 480 out of committee, by a vote of 6-3.

FMF Statement:  “This committee just took the first step in saving marriages and saving taxpayer dollars.  We commend thier effort and expect full support from the Texas House.”

Click here to read an excellent recent article by Ashley Sanchez in the Austin-American Statesman on this issue.
http://tinyurl.com/andl6j

HB 480 applies to person(s) seeking a no-fault divorce (the legal term is “insupportability”) where a child lives at the home.  At least one spouse would have to show proof that they have taken a marriage education course along with their divorce petition, in order to be able to file such a petition.  Any marriage with evidence of domestic violence is exempted.

This effort to strengthen and save marriages will be a great addition to the law passed in 2007, also by Rep. Chisum and supported by Free Market Foundation, which gives couples the option to take a pre-marriage education course in order to waive the $60 state marriage license fee.

We know that not only is family breakdown filled with emotional “costs” to the adults and the kids, we also know it has a staggering effect of costing Texas taxpayers $3 billion a year.  Click here for more details. http://freemarketblog.wordpress.com/2008/04/21/texas-taxpayers-footing-3-billion-for-family-breakdown/  

We believe this legislation will go a long way in saving taxpayer dollars (we need every penny we can get in these tough economic times!) and saving marriages.  The result will be healthier parents, healthier kids, and a healthier Texas.

Click here for our talking points.hb-480-talking-points