IAV/ALEC "You Can Wait A Year" Divorce Bill Making the Rounds

I found this posted this morning and thought I should take a further look at it.

Ridiculous Republican bill of the day

In a further attempt to turn back the calendar to the 1950's, four Minnesota Senate Republicans introduced a bill to require a two-year waiting period for divorces if the couple has minor children.

This would be the longest divorce waiting period in the country. By the way, Nevada, with the nation's highest divorce rate has one of the longest waiting periods for divorce. Minnesota has a low divorce rate, with no waiting period for divorce

To take it another step – from a Texas  article

Specifically, the proposed legislation calls for the following:

Mandating that all parents seeking to end their marriage attend divorce-ed. classes - which include a session on reconciliation - before they can file for divorce

Establishing a 12-month "cooling off" period before the divorce is finalized and creating a mechanism through which a spouse could send the an "early notification and divorce prevention letter" indicating that a divorce is likely unless certain issues can be resolved

Setting up "centers of excellence" at universities or non-profits to help at-risk couples

Then I found this in a Utah Newspaper

Their proposal, called the "Second Chance Act," would create a yearlong waiting period before a divorce could be finalized. In that time, the party seeking divorce could choose to use an early notification letter to let the spouse know a divorce was wanted, without filing for divorce.

"Second Chances: A Proposal to Reduce Unnecessary Divorce," released Friday by the Institute for American Values, says that — contrary to popular belief — couples don't typically divorce after miserable and conflict-filled marriages

Having been divorce multiple times – I would like to argue that point with these buttheads.

Here’s the full report. 

And there is  a lot to argue with in that report - the assumptions they make are amazing.

Co-author William J. Doherty, professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota, regularly write for the Center for the American Experiment.  The Center for the American Experiment is Minnesota’s version of the Heritage Foundation.  A recent report identified John Gibbs from Comcast as ALEC’s Corporate State Chairman. Gibbs also serves as Center of the American Experiment’s Vice President.

In addition to Minnesota – The Second Chance Act is being discussed in

Utah

Texas

Michigan

Georgia

Colorado

Maryland

Incidently – here’s a snip from an article from Colorado, written the first part of January  - my emphasis

Lundberg said he got the idea for the divorce bill while attending a legislative conference for socially conservative state lawmakers. Chris Gersten, chairman of the Coalition for Divorce Reform, made a presentation on the impact of divorce on children and ways to slow down the process through legislation.

Per ALEC Exposed

Meet ALEC MEMBER  - Sen. Kevin Lundberg (R-15); Health and Human Services Task Force

Interesting enough

Meet ALEC MEMBERS– Minnesota co-author of the bill  Gretchen Hoffman is an ALEC member and also serves on the Health and Human Services Task Force.  Another co-author of the bill, Michael Jungbauer is also an ALEC member.

And by coincidence – It is the ALEC Health and Human Services Task Force that approved the ALEC Marriage Contract Act in 1995 – So this issue has been on the burner for the American Legislative Exchange Council for over 15 years.

The Second Chances Act may have been written for a right wing extremist organization

– but once again

– ALEC members are bringing what they hear at their meetings and introducing it as state legislation

– legislation that by the way – Minnesotans did not ask for and probably do not want.

Minnesota WANTS JOBS!!!!!

Minnesota ALEC members – IRRESPONSBILE to the citizens of Minnesota.