A SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE PUBLIC / PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
REQUIRES A STATE TO:
Have their Marriage License be valid for at least 365 days.
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Establish and maintain a standard $99 Marriage License Fee.
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Provide information on GETWED to couples applying for a Marriage License.
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For every couple who complete 6 Hours of Marriage Education, use half their License Fee to promote GETWED through their Public University system.
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Allow and promote TANF funds to be used for a Marriage License and / or Marriage Education as a part of GETWED.
A socially responsible public / private partnership between Marriage Education Providers, Wedding Vendors, and the State. Couples who apply for a Marriage License, and then complete 6 hours of a broadly outlined core curriculum of Marriage Education, taught freely and independently from a Licensed Mental Health Professional or Ordained Clergy of their choice, according to any ideology of their choice, receive SUBSTANTIAL DISCOUNTS within the GETWED network of Wedding Vendors…
Couples Benefit!
By addressing everyday issues on the front end; including money, health, family, communication, intimacy, unmet expectations, conflict resolution, and domestic violence, the horrific lifelong effects of divorce can be prevented on the back end. Marriage Education prepares individuals to fulfill their new roles as spouse and potentially parent, wherein they will most likely promote education to their kids as a key to success. The irony here is glaring. Plus, it’s from a private instructor a couple chooses who teaches from a perspective they choose. They’re only graded on attendance. A small thing to do for the lifetime of benefits marriage provides!
Taxpayers Benefit!
It’s estimated a divorcing couple costs taxpayers approximately $18,000 in one way or another and Family Fragmentation in general costs US Taxpayers at least $112 Billion annually. In a variety of ways, healthier couples contribute more to federal, state, and local coffers while unhealthy ones exponentially drain resources! Taxpayers have a vested interest in marriage rebounding and thriving. Additionally, it’s believed divorce negatively impacts a couple’s finances by roughly $15,000 each person. Cohabitating couples break up at higher rates than married couples and likewise these breakups have a greater potential to have a net negative rather than positive effect on public finances. Taxpayers have an interest in these couples seeing the value in marriage and similarly learning how to succeed at it.
Wedding Vendors Benefit!
It’s important to be a socially responsible corporate citizen! Your customers will love you for it! Ten states already see the value of marriage education, BECAUSE IT WORKS, and offer a discount on the license fee, however, in as much as the average fee is $50, a discount has not been persuasive enough. Furthermore, and generally speaking, by the time a couple gets a license, even if they want to take advantage of the discount, the education is rushed as they are consumed with the wedding date being right around the corner. Forty States have Marriage License expiration dates of less than 90 days. We need all to be valid for at least one year so couples get their license earlier and can become motivated to become meaningfully educated.
Marriage Education Providers Benefit!
Marriage rates are at an all-time low, and trending lower, however, if a smaller group of couples become a more successful group, then more people will want to become a part of this group again. It’s akin to repopulating a species on the brink of extinction rather than letting it become extinct! An exciting ground floor opportunity!! Additionally, Licensed Mental Health Professionals and Ordained Clergy who offer a great Pre Wedding-Marriage Education class can potentially have lifelong Continuing Education customers. Be at the forefront of groundbreaking change!
WHY WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT NOW!
The Marriage Education Act was born from the notion to amend marriage license laws such that a marriage license be treated as most licenses a state issues and held to a minimal level of required education. State legislators didn’t bite and so several years ago we began a Ballot Initiative in Colorado because at the time, their process provided the most efficient path. This gained the attention of national news outlets, which despite a clear misunderstanding of details, affirmed the value in marriage education. Not uncommon for referendums, the initiative was withdrawn with the hope to try again with lessons learned.
WATCH EXCITING PRESS COVERAGE
We tried again by raising the marriage license fee substantially and having this waived in its entirety for completing marriage education, thus making it voluntary rather than mandatory. Still not enough traction. With more feedback and valuable input, we’re back in the current form presented here and feel this is a workable model. The Referendum process is too expensive and arduous so we’re back looking to influence state legislators. Votes – Names, are what elected officials listen to so the only way we get their attention is for you to sign the petition now as well as spread the word right away.
