Proposed Oklahoma Divorce Law Involving Covenant Marriages Fails in Senate Committee!
As previously detailed at The Divorce Blog, an Oklahoma covenant marriage bill which would make it harder for couples in the Sooner State to get a divorce failed yesterday in a Senate committee. A kswo.com story reported that this proposed Oklahoma divorce law failed to garner enough support in the state committee that it wasn’t even voted on. Originally introduced in the House by Representative John Wright, this legislation would have eliminated incompatibility as grounds for divorce in the state for people who chose the voluntary covenant marriage option.
Also under this failed legislation, Oklahoma couples who chose a covenant marriage would have had to attend marriage counseling at least 15 days before being wed. This Oklahoma divorce legislation would have only allowed divorces for people who chose covenant marriages when there was adultery, abuse, abandonment, fraud or an 18-month separation period without reconciliation.
After passing the Oklahoma House the last several years, this legislation once again failed in the Senate. Republican Senator Mike Schulz was described in the story as saying that supporters will try to push this legislation again next year, which would not have happened if a vote had been taken in the rules panel committee and the legislation did not pass. If this had happened, Schulz said the bill would have been dead for two years.
The Senate sponsor of this legislation, Owen Laughlin, said the covenant marriage issue may not necessarily be dead this year and could potentially be attached to another bill. If this does not happen, Laughlin said the bill would be carried into consideration next year. We’ll keep you updated on any developments with the covenant marriage issue in Oklahoma.
