SALT LAKE CITY — A bill headed to the state Senate is seeking to up the cost of Utah marriage licenses to fund counseling and education in hopes of preventing divorce and saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

Sponsored by Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, SB29 would increase the cost of a marriage license $20, but it would give engaged couples the chance to get that $20 back if they complete approved premarital education or counseling.

Christensen testified before the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee on Wednesday that encouraging nuptial prep would reduce crime and drug rates, prevent domestic violence and cut down on divorce.

"We keep trying to figure out a way to make this better," Christensen said. "Will it fix the problem? Not even close. Will it have an effect? We really think it will."

Speaking in support of the bill, Alan Hawkins, chairman of the Utah Marriage Commission and a professor of family studies at BYU, said economists estimate divorce costs Utah taxpayers as much as $200 million annually. He estimates the bill could save the state more than $2 million of that cost each year.

"The 10,000 divorces that occur in Utah each year cost taxpayers money, a lot of it," Hawkins said. "These costs flow from the reality that family fragmentation is a leading cause of poverty, and is associated with youth delinquency, academic underachievement and other problems that government ends up spending government resources on."

While marriage is a deeply personal issue, it is also a public one in the sense that the state bears substantial costs when marriages dissolve, Hawkins said.

"While many think of engaged couples as having stars in their eyes and no significant problems, research shows that many enter into marriage with significant relationship problems and ambiguous commitment," Hawkins testified. "The seeds of divorce are often evident before the wedding, and the best time to strengthen a marriage is before the marriage begins."

Premarital education helps couples assess their readiness for marriage, evaluate the strength of the match, align their expectations, and teaches relationship skills like communication and committment, Hawkins explained, noting that research has shown it decreases divorce in the early "high-risk" years of marriage by 20 percent. It also makes couples more likely to seek counseling later when problems arise in the years after the wedding.

After completing premarital eduction, about 10 percent of couples choose not to marry after identifying "red flags" in their relationship, ultimately saving them from divorce down the line, Hawkins said.

While many say they see the benefits in premarital counseling, only 1 in 4 Utahns complete any, Hawkins said.

The bill would outline "loose" criteria for the content for eligible premarital counseling, Christensen said, which would also be covered in a free course online.

A motion by Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, failed to remove an exemption in the bill for religious institutions, leaving them free to define their own marriage prep curriculum. While Escamilla voiced support for the effort overall, she ultimately said she could not support the bill while the exemption remained in place.

Senate Minority Leader Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City, was the only other member of the committee to join Escamilla in backing the amendment and voting against moving the bill out of committee.

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Marriage license bill could save Utah $2M per year

A bill that would give a $20 marriage license discount to couples who go to marriage counseling could save the state a lot of money.

"If we're going to give individuals a rebate on their license to take these courses, then it should be consistent all the way through," Davis said.

Christensen noted that the measure has been proposed in the past but failed because county clerks in the state were concerned about taking on the burden of issuing rebates for couples that complete education courses. The Utah Marriage Counsel would now assume that role, including offering a website with information about how to request the $20 refund, he explained.

Marriage licenses in Utah generally cost $30, Hawkins said, while some run as low as $25 and others are set at $50.

The bill passed out of committee with a 3-2 vote.

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