Bush says he'll take up cause of marriage reform

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush says his goal to strengthen families during his second term includes marriage reform as a way to combat the state's high divorce rate.

"Strengthening families may mean looking at our divorce rate, which is over 60 percent," Bush said. But he offered few specifics, so just what should be done and how is still a question.

House Speaker Johnnie Byrd is critical of Florida's no-fault divorce law and believes the Legislature should look at the problem. But Bush said marriage needs to be addressed before couples wed, and he does not want to make it more difficult to get divorced.

Bush said any reform should ensure that "the institution of marriage is held up high as something that is so important that when people make that decision they understand the responsibilities."

The state passed a law four years ago giving couples a $32.50 discount on their marriage license if they take a marriage preparation course, but some question whether that is a strong enough incentive.

"For most people, they're going to have to pay to have those hours of premarital counseling," said Larry Barlow, a Tallahassee marriage counselor. "It's probably going to cost them more. I suspect that the people who had planned to do premarital education would do it anyway and those who didn't would probably pay the extra cost" for the license.

He added that state should be interested in doing more to lower the divorce rate.

"Given that the state does regulate marriage and divorce, then I don't have any qualms about them wanting to have a hand in making it work," Barlow said. "In the long run it not only is good for families, but it's good for the economy. We do know that there are correlations between single-mom households and greater poverty for children."

Bush said he doesn't know whether new laws are needed but that he would use his office to promote healthy marriages.

"Being governor also relates to being in public life and trying to use the bully pulpit to advance causes that go beyond government," he said.

Senate President Jim King said the high divorce rate does have a large financial impact on the state, but he questioned what role lawmakers would have in further regulating marriage.

"Anything that would reduce the rate is something that perhaps we should look at, but you have to balance that against personal rights and the cost involved for the state to embark upon another mission," said King, R-Jacksonville.

Byrd, however, said there may be work the Legislature can do to strengthen marriage.

"I want the chairman of the Committee on the Future of Florida's Families to come up with some great ideas about how we can establish marriage as the foundation of our society, how we can put marriage on a pedestal as being the rock foundation of our society," said Byrd, R-Plant City.

He said people need to think about the importance of marriage even years before they consider being wed.

"We need to take a look at what kind of curriculum we could have in our schools," Byrd said. "Can we beef up the curriculum in our schools that would help young people, especially in high school, understand the commitment of marriage?"

He also criticized Florida's no-fault divorce law, which makes it easier to end marriages.

"No-fault divorce did not deliver on the promise of adult happiness that it was touted to deliver back in the early '70s," Byrd said. "A lot of children and a lot of families have had to suffer as a result of no-fault divorce."

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