House of Representatives State of Utah


         UTAH STATE CAPITOL COMPLEX . 350 STATE CAPITOL
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Graphic file number 0 named letter~1.jpg with height 78 p and width 81 p Left aligned
         P.O. BOX 145030 . SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84114-5030 . (801) 538-1029         February 1, 2012

Madam Speaker:

    The Health and Human Services Committee reports a favorable recommendation on H.B. 290, DIVORCE ORIENTATION CLASS, by Representative J. Nielson, with the following amendments:

1.    Page 1, Lines 12 through 16 :    

             12          This bill:
             13          .    requires a prospective petitioner for divorce to complete the mandatory divorce
             14      orientation course before filing a petition for divorce;
    

  . provides an exception for a victim of domestic violence;      

             15          .    requires the respondent to complete the mandatory divorce orientation course within
             16      30 days of receipt of a petition for divorce;

2.    Page 1, Lines 12 through 19 :    

             12          This bill:
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  . waives the requirement for a petitioner or respondent who has previously taken the class;       and

             19          .    makes technical corrections.

3.    Page 2, Lines 40 through 41 :    

             40          (2) A prospective petitioner shall [attend] complete a divorce orientation course [no
             41      more than 60 days after] before filing a petition for divorce.
    
  (3) The prefiling completion requirement shall be waived for a victim of domestic violence who provides:

    (a) a valid protective order or its equivalent from any jurisdiction;
    (b) a police report that indicates domestic violence has occurred against the respondent by a spouse; or
    (c) a letter from a domestic violence shelter stating that the petitioner is fleeing domestic violence.
    (4) A petitioner who files for divorce under Subsection (3) shall be required to

complete the course within 30 days after filing for divorce.  


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1.    Page 2, Lines 42 through 44 :    

             42          (3) The respondent shall [attend] complete the divorce orientation course [no more
             43      than] within 30 days [after] of being served with a petition for divorce.
    
  (4) A petitioner or respondent who has taken the class is not required to take the class again unless more than 18 months has passed since completion of the class. The petitioner or respondent shall provide documentation showing class completion at the time of filing.      

             44          
{   (4)   }        (5)       The clerk of the court shall provide notice to a petitioner of the requirement for the

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2.    Page 3, Lines 82 through 83 :    

             82          [(12)] (10) It shall be an affirmative defense in all divorce actions that the divorce
             83      orientation requirement was not complied with
  by the respondent       , and the action may not continue until a party


*Renumber the remaining subsections accordingly*

    Respectfully,

    Paul Ray
    Committee Chair
Voting: 5-3-1
3 HB0290.HC1.wpd 2/1/12 2:41 pm /MDA ECM/JDH

Bill Number
Action Class
Action Code

*HB0290*
*H*
*HCRAMD*

 HB0290
H
HCRAMD