Marriage Preparation Education Bill Proposed for Third Year

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Pilot Program Would Reduce Marriage License Fee

(KCPW News) If you take eight hours of marriage preparation education, the marriage license you need to walk down the aisle may cost you less - that's if a bill being sponsored by Rep. Roz McGee becomes law. The Democrat from Salt Lake City's East Bench says the state loses when marriages fail:

"It plays out in costs of family disruption, it plays out in the state being involved in collecting child support and in providing TANFF benefits for disrupted families."

Not to mention the huge cost of custody disputes that end up in court, says McGee, who sees pre-marital counseling as a way to lower the divorce rate. Her bill is based on similar legislation in Minnesota developed by Dr. William Doherty, a licensed marriage and family therapist:

"About 38 percent of couples marrying in Minnesota now take advantage of this waiver that we have of the state marriage license fee," he says. "We don't have long-term studies yet; this has just been in effect for a little while. What we do know from other research, though, is that good pre-marital education prepares people to handle their conflicts better."

Doherty will give a keynote address at Saturday's 15th Annual Celebration of Marriage at the Salt Palace.

This is the third year McGee has tried to pass a marriage preparation education bill. If successful, a pilot program would be supervised by the Department of Workforce Services.

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