New Bills Pending During This Legislative Session

Dating Violence Protection Act. Pending before Utah Legistature. The question is: do people in dating relationships need the same level of protection as people in family relations? The Act does have a limitation where it allows to obtain a Protective Order for 180 days only. This is reasonable since the parties have no children and may not even cohabitate when the need for such order arises.

Alimony Amendments Bill that would allow to consider fault in awarding alimony failed in Senate Judiciary Committee. The concern is that the bill would invite litigation beyond current levels. Interesting to find out what other states have in terms of fault being relevant to alimony awards? How does it play out? Did the fault provision increase litigation?

Amazingly enough, this year the changes to Utah family law statutes are not as overwhelming as in some previous years. This should allow the courts to develop and explain the law rather than to have Legislature to constantly change statutes.