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House Bill 427 – Proposed Changes to Divorce Law
House Bill 427 is a proposed bill change that would affect KRS 403.044 and KRS 403.170. Eastern Kentucky Republican Representative Stan Lee sponsored the bill.
KRS 403.044, current reads as follows:
“In divorce actions in which there are minor children who are the issue of the marriage no
testimony other than on temporary motions shall be taken or heard before sixty (60) days
have elapsed from the date of service of summons, the appointment of a warning order
attorney or the filing of an entry of appearance or a responsive pleading by the defendant,
whichever occurs first.”
This means that in a divorce action where there are minor children, the court cannot hear testimony on anything except temporary motions until at least sixty (60) days have passed. Meaning that a divorce where the parties have minor children takes at a minimum sixty (60) days before it can be completed. HB427 as proposed would change that.
Making Divorces Take Longer To Finish
The proposed changes to KRS 403.044, would change the amount of time it will take to finalize a divorce. House Bill 427 proposes to make the time increase to one-hundred and eighty (180) days. Going from two months to six months before a divorce could be finalized.
Irretrievable Broken Hearing Requirement
HB427 would also amend KRS 403.170 to require the court in a divorce to hold a hearing with the parties present to determine whether the marriage is irretrievably broken and allow the court to require a divorce assessment performed by a qualified mental health professional. Meaning every couple getting divorced with children would have to have a hearing to prove the marriage is irretrievably broken. If a judge thinks they can work it out, the couple could then be ordered to go to counseling.
Making Divorces Harder
House Bill 427 would make changes to KRS 403.044 and KRS 403.170. These changes would make divorce actions that have children take longer, cost more and be more difficult. It is important to be aware of what bills are being proposed and how they can affect your life and the lives of others in the Commonwealth.
2 Comments
I do not agree with this. No judge should be allowed to tell a person how to live there lives. How can someone else tell a couple they have to stay together? That will cause more damage to the children because you know the couples are going to feel resentment.
Thank you for posting your opinion here. It is important for people to be aware of potential changes to law and how it may affect them.
In Kentucky, it is already a requirement for a Judge to find that the marriage is irrevocably broken, and if there are minor children the divorce can not be finalized before 60 days have passed. However, this bill would require a couple attend a hearing to determine that and gives the Judge the authority to force the couple to attend a divorce assessment, as well as extending the time frame from 60 to 180 days. It would not give a Judge the power to force 2 people to remain together if they didn’t want to.
If you are not in favor of this potential law change, you should contact you representatives and make them aware of that.