Two lawmakers seek to preserve marriage through counseling; education

SALT LAKE CITY — Two state representatives are sponsoring legislation they hope will provide tools to preserve marriages.

Rep. Dixon Pitcher, R-Ogden, who has been married 34 years, is sponsoring a bill to encourage couples to undergo counseling before they obtain their marriage licenses.

Those who voluntarily comply would get a $30 discount on the cost of their marriage licenses, although the law would also impose a three-day waiting period after obtaining the license to get married.

Counseling could help newlyweds avoid the issues that strain many young marriages — learning to manage household finances, effective communication, dealing with inlaws. Under HB132, couples could select their own counselor or program.

Pitcher said couples planning to marry could also benefit from learning appropriate "rules of engagement."

"Just because we're having a discussion, doesn't mean that it's a fight," said Pitcher.

The waiting period, Pitcher said, would give engaged couples one last opportunity to disclose information that might cause problems in their marriage. Pitcher said he is aware of one new bride who learned of her husband's $21,000 credit debt two months into the marriage.

The primary goals of the bill is to give new spouses the tools to effectively deal with the joys and challenges of marriage.

"If you'll take a little counseling, I think there are rewards for everyone if we keep marriages together," Pitcher said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Jim Nielson, wants spouses contemplating divorce to consider the broad implications of the decision. The Bountiful Republican has introduced HB290, which would require a divorce petitioner to complete an education course before filing for divorce. The respondent would also be required to complete the course.

Under current Utah law, divorcing couples with children must complete a divorce education course before a divorce decree is granted.

Nielson said professor Alan Hawkins of Brigham Young University's School of Family Life has surveyed couples who have taken the divorce education classes after a divorce petition was filed.

Many told Hawkins that the "information would have been more helpful if they had had it sooner," Nielson said.

Some people might change their mind about filing for divorce. At at minimum, Nielson said, people would go into the proceedings eyes wide open.