HB-5470, As Passed House, May 19, 2004

SUBSTITUTE FOR

HOUSE BILL NO. 5470

                                                                             A bill to amend 1846 RS 84, entitled                                              

"Of divorce,"                                                               

(MCL 552.1 to 552.45) by adding sections 5 and 5a.                          

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1   Sec. 5.  (1) Except as provided in subsection (5), the                      

2   parties to a divorce shall complete, either together or                     

3   separately, a divorce effects program and a questionnaire as                

4   provided in this section before entry of the judgment of                    

5   divorce.  This subsection applies only if 1 or more of the                  

6   following are true:                                                         

7       (a) The parties are a minor child's parents.                                

8       (b) Either party is a minor child's physical custodian at the               

9   time of filing the complaint for divorce.                                   

10  (c) The wife is pregnant and, after the child is born, the                  

11  husband would be the child's presumed father.  If the pregnancy             

1   is discovered after the complaint is filed, but before entry of             

2   the judgment of divorce, the court shall not enter the judgment             

3   until the parties comply with this section.                                 

4       (2) Parties to whom subsection (1) applies shall complete a                 

5   divorce effects program covering at least all of the following              

6   subjects related to issues about the following:                             

7       (a) A child involved in the action:                                         

8                                                                                (i) Developmental stages.                                                           

9       (ii) Responses to divorce.                                                   

10      (iii) Symptoms of maladjustment to divorce and responses to                  

11  maladjustment.                                                              

12      (iv) Education or counseling options for the child.                          

13      (b) Parties to the action:                                                  

14                                                                               (i) Communication skills.                                                           

15      (ii) Conflict resolution skills.                                             

16      (iii) Emotional adjustment, family adjustment, financial                     

17  adjustment, and work adjustment techniques.                                 

18      (iv) Stress reduction.                                                       

19      (v) Parallel and cooperative parenting techniques.                          

20      (vi) Reconciliation and counseling options, and remarriage                   

21  issues.                                                                     

22      (vii) Substance abuse information and referral.                              

23      (c) Court procedure and process as described in information                 

24  available from the relevant office of the friend of the court.              

25      (3) Parties to whom subsection (1) applies shall complete a                 

26  questionnaire prior to completing a divorce effects program                 

27  answering the following questions as to whether the divorce                 

1   will:                                                                       

2       (a) Improve, maintain, or diminish the love, affection, and                 

3   other emotional ties existing between the parties involved and              

4   the child.                                                                  

5       (b) Improve, maintain, or diminish the capacity and                         

6   disposition of the parties involved to give the child love,                 

7   affections, and guidance and to continue the education and                  

8   raising of the child in the child's religion or creed, if any.              

9       (c) Improve, maintain, or diminish the capacity and                         

10  disposition of the parties involved to provide the child with               

11  food, clothing, medical care, or other remedial care recognized             

12  and permitted under the laws of this state in place of medical              

13  care and other material needs.                                              

14      (d) Upset a stable, satisfactory environment.                               

15      (e) Result in a suitable living arrangement for the child                   

16  involved.                                                                   

17      (f) Improve, maintain, or diminish the mental and physical                  

18  health of the parties involved.                                             

19      (g) Improve, maintain, or diminish school and community                     

20  record of the child.                                                        

21      (h) Improve, maintain, or diminish the willingness and                      

22  ability of each of the parents to facilitate and encourage a                

23  close and continuing parent and child relationship between the              

24  child and the other parent.                                                 

25      (i) Reduce domestic violence or mental anguish of any of the                

26  parties involved.                                                           

27  (4) The provider of a divorce effects program shall issue a                 

House Bill No. 5470 (H-2) as amended May 19, 2004

1   certificate to each individual who completes the program                    

2   indicating that completion.                                                 

3       (5) If the individual conducting a program described in this                

4   section is an official representative of a religious institution,           

5   the program may omit a subject listed in subsection (2) if                  

6   training or education on that subject would violate a tenet of              

7   the religious institution.                                                  

8       (6) The court shall not order a divorce effects program if a                

9   party to the marriage files a sworn statement stating that the              

10  party is a victim of domestic violence by the other party.  [The sworn statement shall be reviewed only by the court and shall not be a part of the public record of that divorce action.]  The                                            

11  court may otherwise excuse a party to a divorce action from                 

12  attending a divorce effects program for good cause including, but           

13  not limited to, availability of the program or the party's                  

14  ability to pay.  If a party is not exempt or excused from a                 

15  divorce effects program as provided in this subsection and the              

16  party fails to complete a divorce effects program, the court may            

17  hold the party in contempt, punishable as provided in the revised           

18  judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.101 to 600.9948, may           

19  impose another sanction reasonable in the circumstances, and may            

20  enter a judgment of divorce despite the party's failure to                  

21  complete a divorce effects program.                                         

22      (7) As used in this section, "domestic violence" means an act               

23  inflicting bodily injury, causing serious emotional injury or               

24  serious psychological trauma, or placing in fear of imminent                

25  physical harm by threat or force a person who is a spouse or                

26  former spouse or has or has had a dating relationship with,                 

27  resides or has resided with, or has a child in common with the              

House Bill No. 5470 (H-2) as amended May 19, 2004

1   person committing the violence.                                             

2   Sec. 5a.  (1) Only 1 or more of the following shall conduct                 

3   a divorce effects program required under section 5:                         

4       (a) A licensed professional counselor, licensed marriage and                

5   family therapist, licensed or limited licensed psychologist, or             

6   certified social worker or social worker licensed or registered             

7   as required by article 15 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368,           

8   MCL 333.16101 to 333.18838.                                                 

9       (b) A psychiatrist as that term is defined in section 100c of               

10  the mental health code, 1974 PA 258, MCL 330.1100c.                         

11      (c) An official representative of a religious institution.                  

12      (d) Court or friend of the court personnel.                                 

13      (2) Payment for a divorce effects program shall be made                     

14  directly to the program provider.  A program provider may use a             

15  fee schedule that accommodates families of various financial                

16  Means, including allowing participation by indigent individuals             

17   for no fee.

[Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect October 1, 2004.]