Rep. Dorr Withdraws Divorce Bill

Rep. Tom Dorr withdrew his controversial anti-divorce legislation Tuesday, saying he hadn’t thought of how it would affect divorces involving spousal abuse.

“There’s one glitch, and that’s how the abused spouse is dealt with,” said Dorr, R-Post Falls.

Dorr’s bill, unveiled with fanfare last week by the Idaho Family Forum, would have required both parties’ consent for a divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. Dorr said he hoped it would make divorce in Idaho more difficult, and help prevent husbands from abandoning their wives.

But lawmakers from both parties were joined by women’s groups and advocates for victims of domestic violence in decrying the bill. Women initiate nearly twice as many divorces as men in Idaho.

Rep. Celia Gould, R-Buhl, chairman of the House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee, said at Dorr’s request, her committee voted Tuesday to kill the bill. Instead, a subcommittee will look into Idaho’s divorce laws.

“The bill was flawed in my opinion,” Gould said. “We certainly would have given it a full hearing, but he chose to go this route. I think that was a good move.”

Rep. Mark Stubbs, R-Twin Falls, will head the subcommittee. Stubbs, an attorney, said he plans to do some research into mediation laws in other states, and look at a mediation bill proposed by Rep. Max Black, R-Boise. The subcommittee also will work with Dorr.

Stubbs said the group probably will just gather information this year, although legislation could be proposed in future years.

Stubbs said of Dorr, “The backlash he got was because the public recognized there are circumstances when a divorce is absolutely necessary and the parties need to get a divorce immediately if not sooner.”

“His goal is to address the high divorce rate, a laudable goal.”

Rep. Bill Sali, R-Meridian, who will serve on the subcommittee, said he favors a plan to make divorcing couples substantiate their differences in court. A lawyer, Sali said divorces are “sickeningly unceremonious.”

Dennis Mansfield, head of the Idaho Family Forum, said he was pleased that the Legislature was referring the issue to the subcommittee. “There is an absolute need to address divorce reform,” he said.

“I had three men that came to my office today with horror stories on divorce - their wife found someone with more money. … Our point is to say maybe it’s time to put some speed bumps in it.”

Rep. Jeff Alltus, R-Coeur d’Alene, who strongly supported Dorr’s bill, said, “I wasn’t very sure we were going to get that thing through.”

But because Dorr brought up the issue, Alltus said, “I think we’ll come out with some real meaningful changes that will fix a lot of the problems we saw without everyone having to get up in arms about it.”

, DataTimes