Getting hitched may bring homework
Florida could require engaged couples to read marriage guide
Couples would have to read a new “Florida Guide to a Healthy Marriage” before getting a marriage license if a new bill becomes law next year.
The bill (SB 682) filed Tuesday by Republican state Sen. Dennis Baxley, would create a Marriage Education Committee to write a marriage guide for newlyweds “to combat the rising cost of divorce to Florida’s citizens.”
The guide would complement the Family Law Handbook already produced by the state, which Baxley said did not provide enough positive advice to go along with advice on divorce.
State law already requires couples to either read the 19-page Family Law Handbook or other marriage-related information before a marriage license can be issued.
“The facts are mounting and the high cost of divorce impacting Florida’s Families in human and public costs must be addressed,” Baxley, R-Lady Lake, said in a statement. “This marriage handbook can help Florida Families build healthy families, giving them a guide to build a strong foundation.”
The committee, according to the bill, would consist of six “marriage education and family advocates,” two appointed by the governor, two by the Senate president and two by the House speaker.
The guide would include “resources regarding conflict management, communication skills, family expectations, financial responsibilities and management, domestic violence resources, and parenting responsibilities.”
It would also include current information about maintaining a long-term marital relationship, as well as the resources available “to help restore a marriage that is potentially moving toward dissolution.”
The guide would be paid for with privately raised funds and not taxpayer states.
State Sen. Linda Stewart, DOrlando, said she opposed the bill.
“I don’t think legislators are in any way proficient in determining a good or bad marriage,” Stewart said. “That needs to be handled in churches, not in the legislative body.”
The U.S. Census’ Community Survey done for 2013-2017 found the divorce rate in Florida to be 12.9% compared with the national rate of 10.9%. The Census Bureau also reports that divorce rates have been steadily dropping nationwide over the past two decades as more people wait until they are older to get married or forgo marriage entirely.
Baxley’s bill, which is paired with a similar House measure introduced by state Rep. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, is similar to ones filed last year by Yarborough and state Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland.
Stargel’s bill passed out of the Judiciary Committee by a vote on 9-1 before it was withdrawn when it was before the Children, Families, and Elder Affairs committee.
When that bill was introduced, the Legislature itself was undergoing a wave of marriage issues. Between late 2017 and early 2018, four married legislators either admitted to affairs or resigned over sexual harassment claims. money, the bill