Bill Text: NY A04588 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires an eight hour pre-marriage counseling session with a licensed marriage and family therapist before the issuance of a marriage license for persons intending to be married in New York state.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-04 - referred to judiciary [A04588 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-A04588-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4588
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   February 4, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by M. of A. CASTRO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. BOYLAND
         -- read once and referred to the Committee on Judiciary
       AN ACT to amend the domestic relations law, in relation to  pre-marriage
         counseling
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Section 13 of the domestic relations  law,  as  amended  by
    2  chapter 720 of the laws of 1957, is amended to read as follows:
    3    S  13.    Marriage  licenses. 1. It shall be necessary for all persons
    4  intended to be married in New York state to obtain  a  marriage  license
    5  from a town or city clerk in New York state and to deliver said license,
    6  within  sixty  days,  to the clergyman or magistrate who is to officiate
    7  before the marriage ceremony may be performed.   In case of  a  marriage
    8  contracted  pursuant to subdivision four of section eleven of this chap-
    9  ter, such license shall be delivered to the judge of the court of record
   10  before whom the acknowledgment is to be taken.  If either party  to  the
   11  marriage  resides upon an island located not less than twenty-five miles
   12  from the office or residence of the town clerk of the town of which such
   13  island is a part, and if such office or residence is not on such  island
   14  such  license  may be obtained from any justice of the peace residing on
   15  such island, and such justice, in respect to powers and duties  relating
   16  to marriage licenses, shall be subject to the provisions of this article
   17  governing  town  clerks  and  shall  file  all  statements or affidavits
   18  received by him while acting under the provisions of this  section  with
   19  the town clerk of such town.
   20    2.  BEFORE A MARRIAGE LICENSE SHALL BE ISSUED, PERSONS INTENDING TO BE
   21  MARRIED IN NEW YORK STATE SHALL COMPLETE  ONE  EIGHT  HOUR  PRE-MARRIAGE
   22  COUNSELING  SESSION  WITH  A  LICENSED MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST, AS
   23  DEFINED IN SECTION EIGHT THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED THREE  OF  THE  EDUCATION
   24  LAW.
   25    S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD02999-01-1