HF 2229

1st Engrossment - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to marriage; providing for a reduced marriage 
  1.3             license fee for couples who obtain premarital 
  1.4             education; amending Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 
  1.5             517.08, subdivisions 1b and 1c. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 517.08, 
  1.8   subdivision 1b, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 1b.  [TERM OF LICENSE; FEE; PREMARITAL EDUCATION.] (a)
  1.10  The court administrator shall examine upon oath the party 
  1.11  applying for a license relative to the legality of the 
  1.12  contemplated marriage.  If at the expiration of a five-day 
  1.13  period, on being satisfied that there is no legal impediment to 
  1.14  it, the court administrator shall issue the license, containing 
  1.15  the full names of the parties before and after marriage, and 
  1.16  county and state of residence, with the district court seal 
  1.17  attached, and make a record of the date of issuance.  The 
  1.18  license shall be valid for a period of six months.  In case of 
  1.19  emergency or extraordinary circumstances, a judge of the 
  1.20  district court of the county in which the application is made, 
  1.21  may authorize the license to be issued at any time before the 
  1.22  expiration of the five days.  Except as provided in paragraph 
  1.23  (b), the court administrator shall collect from the applicant a 
  1.24  fee of $70 for administering the oath, issuing, recording, and 
  1.25  filing all papers required, and preparing and transmitting to 
  2.1   the state registrar of vital statistics the reports of marriage 
  2.2   required by this section.  If the license should not be used 
  2.3   within the period of six months due to illness or other 
  2.4   extenuating circumstances, it may be surrendered to the court 
  2.5   administrator for cancellation, and in that case a new license 
  2.6   shall issue upon request of the parties of the original license 
  2.7   without fee.  A court administrator who knowingly issues or 
  2.8   signs a marriage license in any manner other than as provided in 
  2.9   this section shall pay to the parties aggrieved an amount not to 
  2.10  exceed $1,000. 
  2.11     (b) The marriage license fee for parties who have completed 
  2.12  at least 12 hours of premarital education is $20.  In order to 
  2.13  qualify for the reduced fee, the parties must submit an 
  2.14  affidavit stating that they have received premarital education 
  2.15  from a licensed or ordained minister of any religious 
  2.16  denomination or designees thereof or a person authorized to 
  2.17  practice marriage and family therapy under section 148B.33.  The 
  2.18  education must include a discussion of the seriousness of 
  2.19  marriage, the teaching of conflict management skills, and of the 
  2.20  desirability of seeking marital counseling in times of marital 
  2.21  difficulties. 
  2.22     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 517.08, 
  2.23  subdivision 1c, is amended to read: 
  2.24     Subd. 1c.  [DISPOSITION OF LICENSE FEE.] Of the marriage 
  2.25  license fee collected pursuant to subdivision 1b, paragraph (a), 
  2.26  the court administrator shall pay $55 to the state treasurer to 
  2.27  be deposited as follows: 
  2.28     (1) $50 in the general fund; 
  2.29     (2) $3 in the special revenue fund to be appropriated to 
  2.30  the commissioner of children, families, and learning for 
  2.31  supervised visitation facilities under section 119A.37; and 
  2.32     (3) $2 in the special revenue fund to be appropriated to 
  2.33  the commissioner of health for developing and implementing the 
  2.34  MN ENABL program under section 145.9255. 
  2.35     Of the $20 fee under subdivision 1b, paragraph (b), $15 
  2.36  must be retained by the county and the remainder must be 
  3.1   distributed as provided in clauses (2) and (3).