H.B. 78

             1     

MARRIAGE DEFENSE FUND

             2     
2014 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Merrill F. Nelson

             5     
Senate Sponsor: ____________

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill creates the Marriage Defense Fund and provides for an income tax
             10      contribution to the Marriage Defense Fund.
             11      Highlighted Provisions:
             12          This bill:
             13          .    provides an individual income tax contribution for the Marriage Defense Fund;
             14          .    creates the Marriage Defense Fund (the fund) consisting of private contributions,
             15      individual income tax contributions, interest, and additional amounts appropriated;
             16      and
             17          .    provides that the Office of the Attorney General shall:
             18              .    administer the money deposited into the fund;
             19              .    use the money in the fund to pay litigation and appellate expenses of the Office
             20      of the Attorney General for legal actions related to the defense and enforcement
             21      of Utah Constitution, Article I, Section 29, or any section of Utah Code, Title
             22      30, Chapter 1, Marriage;
             23              .    pay the fund's administrative and marketing costs with money from the fund;
             24              .    post information about the fund on the Office of the Attorney General's            
             25      website, including information about how to contribute to the fund;
             26              .    create a process for contributions to be made by cash, credit card, or check;
             27              .    develop and maintain a marketing program to promote the fund; and


             28              .    make a written report to the Executive Offices and Criminal Justice
             29      Appropriations Subcommittee of the Legislature no later than July 1 and
             30      December 1 every year regarding the status of the fund, including information
             31      about the contributions received and expenditures made.
             32      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             33          None
             34      Other Special Clauses:
             35          This bill provides an effective date.
             36          This bill provides retrospective operation for a taxable year beginning on or after
             37      January 1, 2014.
             38      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             39      ENACTS:
             40           59-10-1319 , Utah Code Annotated 1953
             41           67-5-33 , Utah Code Annotated 1953
             42     
             43      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             44          Section 1. Section 59-10-1319 is enacted to read:
             45          59-10-1319. Contribution to the Marriage Defense Fund.
             46          (1) Except as provided in Section 59-10-1304 , for a taxable year beginning on or after
             47      January 1, 2014, a resident or nonresident individual who files an individual income tax return
             48      under this chapter may designate on the resident or nonresident individual's individual income
             49      tax return a contribution as provided in this section to be:
             50          (a) deposited into the Marriage Defense Fund created in Section 67-5-33 ; and
             51          (b) expended as provided in Section 67-5-33 .
             52          (2) The commission shall:
             53          (a) determine the total amount of contributions designated in accordance with this
             54      section for a taxable year; and
             55          (b) credit the amount described in Subsection (2)(a) to the Marriage Defense Fund
             56      created in Section 67-5-33 .
             57          Section 2. Section 67-5-33 is enacted to read:
             58          67-5-33. Marriage Defense Fund.


             59          (1) (a) As used in this section, "fund" means the Marriage Defense Fund created in this
             60      section.
             61          (b) There is created an expendable special revenue fund known as the Marriage
             62      Defense Fund.
             63          (c) The fund shall consist of:
             64          (i) private contributions;
             65          (ii) contributions made pursuant to Section 59-10-1319 ;
             66          (iii) donations or grants from public or private entities;
             67          (iv) interest described in Subsection (2); and
             68          (v) additional amounts appropriated by the Legislature.
             69          (2) (a) Money in the fund shall be maintained in an interest-bearing account.
             70          (b) Interest on account money shall be deposited into the fund.
             71          (3) The Office of the Attorney General shall:
             72          (a) administer the money deposited into the fund;
             73          (b) use the money from the fund to pay litigation and appellate expenses of the Office
             74      of the Attorney General, including expenses of hiring legal counsel, for legal actions related to
             75      the defense and enforcement of Utah Constitution, Article I, Section 29, or any section of Utah
             76      Code, Title 30, Chapter 1, Marriage;
             77          (c) pay the fund's administrative and marketing costs with money from the fund;
             78          (d) post information about the fund on the Office of the Attorney General's website,
             79      including information about how to contribute to the fund;
             80          (e) except for contributions made pursuant to Section 59-10-1319 , create a process for
             81      contributions to be made by cash, credit card, or check;
             82          (f) develop and maintain a marketing program to promote the fund; and
             83          (g) make a written report to the Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Appropriations
             84      Subcommittee of the Legislature no later than July 1 and December 1 of each year regarding
             85      the status of the fund, including information about the contributions received and expenditures
             86      made.
             87          (4) If any of the money in the fund is not expended at the end of the legal proceedings
             88      described in Subsection (3), the money shall be deposited into the General Fund.
             89          Section 3. Effective date -- Retrospective operation.


             90          (1) Except as provided in Subsection (2), this bill takes effect on May 13, 2014.
             91          (2) The actions affecting Section 59-10-1319 have retrospective operation for a taxable
             92      year beginning on or after January 1, 2014.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 1-23-14 5:16 PM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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