DOMESTIC RELATIONS Divorce: Require Certain Divorcing Parents to Participate in Certain Education Classes That Focus on the Effect of Divorce and Separation on Children; Provide for Legislative Findings; Provide for the Types of Persons Who Can Provide the Education; Provide for Exceptions to the Education Classes; Change Certain Provisions Relating to the Time Limit for Granting a Divorce on the Ground That the Marriage Is Irretrievably Broken; Provide for a Different Time Frame for Granting Divorce Based on Certain Circumstances; Provide for Related Matters; Provide for an Effective Date and Applicability; Repeal Conflicting Laws; and for Other Purposes

Abstract

The bill would have required certain divorcing parents with dependent children under 18 years of age to participate in education classes and provided the different types of professionals who could conduct the classes. The bill also would have enacted a waiting period changing the time a court could grant a divorce to 120 days from the date of the parties\u27 separation when the parties have children 18 years of age or younger. The bill provided a waiting period waiver when a party obtained a protective order or when either party submitted allegations to the court of specific facts establishing probable cause that family violence had occurred. The parties also could obtain a waiver of the waiting period if they presented a settlement agreement to the court indicating they utilized principles of collaborative practice