(Preliminary Report of
State Policies to Promote Marriage, 2002
Full Report: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/marriage02/marr-rpt.htm
)
Exhibit 2: |
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Activity |
Definition |
States with Activities |
COMMISSIONS AND CAMPAIGNS |
||
State Campaigns |
Media campaigns to promote
marriage and curb divorce rates. |
AZ, AR, NM, OK |
Commissions |
Summits that focus on
strengthening marriage; commissions charged with implementing specific
policies. |
AZ, LA, MI, SC, UT |
Proclamations |
Statements recognizing the
importance of marriage as a public good and foundation of healthy families. |
LA, NC, UT |
DIVORCE LAWS/PROCEDURES |
||
Modifications to No-fault
Laws |
Laws that make divorce more
difficult by requiring mutual consent. |
AZ, CA, GA, ID, IN, KS, KY,
MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NJ, TX, VA, WA, WV |
Covenant Marriage |
Typically requires
pre-marital counseling, an agreement to seek additional counseling if marital
problems arise, and 2-year waiting period for divorce. |
AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, GA,
IN, IA, KS, LA, MD, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, OH, OK, OR, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV,
WI |
Mandatory Education |
Education for couples with
children on the effects of divorce on children. |
AK, AZ, AR, CO, CT, FL, HI,
IL, IA, KS, KY, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NH, NM, PA, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WI |
Presumption of Joint Legal
Custody |
States that have a
presumption or strong preference in favor of joint legal custody. |
47 States(56) |
Waiting Periods before
Divorce |
Minimum periods between
date of filing for divorce and date court grants divorce. |
AL, AZ, AR, CA, GA, IL, IN,
IA, LA, MA, MO, NE, OK, OR, SC, TN, TX, UT, VT, WA, WY |
Different Laws for Couples
with Children |
Laws that treat couples
with children differently, such as mandatory education, no-fault
modifications or increased waiting periods. |
AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, FL,
GA, HI, IL, IA, KS, KY, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NH, NM, OK, PA, TN, TX, UT,
VT, VA, WA, WI |
Mediation Initiatives |
Mediation, offered through
the courts, generally addresses custody and visitation issues. |
CA, DC, IA, KS, MO, NM, UT,
WI |
MARRIAGE AND RELATIONSHIP PREPARATION AND EDUCATION |
||
Incentives for Marriage
Preparation |
Activities, such as license
fee reductions, for those who participate in education or counseling. |
AZ, AK, FL, IL, IA, MD, MI,
MN, NM, OK, SD, TN |
State Funding for Marriage
Support |
Use of TANF or other funds
to encourage couples to participate in marriage preparation activities. |
AZ, MI, OK, TX, UT, WI |
Marriage Education for
Adults |
Suggested or required
education, often within the context of license fee reductions, marriage
waiting period reductions. |
AK, AZ, CA, CT, FL, IL, IN,
IA, KS, MD, MN, MS, NM, OK, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI |
Remarriage Waiting Periods |
Minimum time must elapse
between the date a divorce is granted and filing for remarriage. |
AL, OK, TX, WI |
STATE TAXES |
||
State EITC |
The federal Earned Income
Tax Credit reduces federal taxes and provides a wage supplement for
low-income working families. States have enacted EITCs to reduce the burden
of state taxes on working families. |
CO, DC, IL, IA, KS, ME, MD,
MA, MN, NJ, NY, OK, OR, RI, VT, WI |
Tax Threshold for Families |
For the 43 states with an income
tax, the income threshold at which married-couple families begin paying taxes
is higher than the threshold at which single-parent families begin paying. |
39 states(57) |
State Marriage Penalty |
States either do not have a
flat tax (regardless of income of filing status); tax brackets for married
couples are not double the size of brackets for individual filers; married
couples cannot pay taxes on separate incomes as if single. |
GA, KS, ME, MD, MN, NE, NJ,
NM, NY, NC, ND, Oh, OK, OR, RI, SD, VT, WV, WI |
TRANSFER POLICIES |
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Medicaid Eligibility Based
Solely on Financial Circumstances |
States cover two-parent
families to the same extent as single-parent families by eliminating the
recent work history and “100-hour” rules. |
36 States(58) |
Medicaid Eligibility,
Expanded Disregards |
States have increased
income and asset disregards and increased coverage through Section 1115
waivers. |
AZ, CA, DE, DC, HI, ME, MN,
MO, MT, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, TN, VT, WA, WI, WY. |
Medicaid Eligibility,
Pregnant Women |
Raise the income
eligibility for pregnant women above 185 percent of poverty. |
AK, CA, DE, DC, GA, IL, IA,
ME, MD, MA, MN, RI, VT |
Expanded Health Care
Coverage, Two-parent Families. |
States cover parents
through state-funded programs or CHIP. |
AZ, CA, MN, NJ, RI, WI |
TANF Eligibility,
Two-parent Families |
Elimination of the work
history and 100-hour rules. |
AL, AK, AR, CO, CT, DE, FL.
HI, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, MD, MI, MN, MT, NE, NV, NJ, MN, NY, NC, OH, RI, SC,
TX, UT, VT, VA, WV, WI, WY |
Marriage Incentives, TANF |
States can disregard income
of a new spouse for specified time, provide an incentive payment to monthly
benefit, offer child care/health benefits to low-income mothers who marry. |
AL, ME, MN, MS, NJ, ND, OK,
TN, WA, WV |
Marriage Promotion, TANF |
State workers actively
promote marriage to TANF participants. |
OK |
Child Support Arrearage
Forgiveness |
Child support arrearages
owed to the state by non-custodial parents are forgiven if parents reunite. |
TN, VT |
STATE-LEVEL VITAL STATISTICS |
||
Marriage Data |
|
31 States |
Divorce Data |
|
29 States |
Improvement Efforts |
|
AL, GA, HI, IA, NJ, OK, VT |
MARRIAGE SUPPORT AND PROMOTION |
||
Home Visitation Programs |
A nurse or other
professional is sent into the home of targeted families to offer numerous
services including marriage or relationships education or skills |
HI, NC, OK, UT, |
Mentoring, Education, and
Counseling |
Programs that aim to
strengthen families, including communications skills, anger management,
mentoring of at-risk families. |
AL, AZ, MI, OK, OR, UT |
Fatherhood Programs |
States are seeking to
reunify families by incorporating a marriage component into statewide
fatherhood initiatives. |
FL, MS, PA, TX, VA |
YOUTH EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT |
||
School-based Marriage
Education |
Statewide marriage
education in schools. |
AZ, FL, NH, NM, PA, SC, SD,
UT, WI |
Abstinence-until-marriage
Education |
States include the message
as part of sex education programs, Title V Section 510 programs enacted as
part of the 1996 welfare reform law, and as media campaigns. |
AL, AZ, GA, HI, IL, IN, IA,
MD, MA, MI, MS, MO, MT, NE, NC, OK, OR, SC, TN, VA |
SPECIALTY PROGRAMS |
||
Professional Development |
State regulates marriage
and family therapists |
44 States(59) |
Respite Programs for
Parents of Children with Disabilities |
Statewide programs that
offer family support services such as day care and counseling. |
43 States(60) |
Programs for Incarcerated
Parents |
Statewide programs target
both men and women leaving prison for parenting and family reunification
services. |
AR, CT, DC, FL, ID, PA |