Now the Republicans are making inroads to curtailing and managing heterosexual marriage, not just gay marriage. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm vetoed legislation that put a 28 day waiting period on marriage for those people who decline marriage counseling.

So Republicans want a waiting period on marriage, but not on guns? What’s the priority here? Oh yeah, that’s right. Republicans only care about the fetus, not the child. Only care about the gun makers, not those killed violently. Only care about “keeping the queers and uneducated” from marrying, while they divorce their third wife.

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Granholm vetoes legislation aimed at encouraging premarital counseling

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

BY AMY F. BAILEY
ASSOCIATED PRESS

LANSING — Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Tuesday vetoed legislation aimed at encouraging couples to receive premarital counseling.

The Democratic governor emphasized that she’s committed to helping preserve the institution of marriage, but said the 12-bill package went too far.

“The decisions men and women make about marriage are private decisions,” Granholm said in her veto message to the Michigan House. “State government should not expand its role into such private affairs when such expansion is neither effective nor appropriate.”

Granholm said she could have supported individual pieces of the package, but had to veto all of them because they were linked together. The governor cited a bill that would have allowed retired clergy to be volunteer premarital counselors as one she could have signed.

State Rep. Joanne Vorhees said she was disappointed that Granholm vetoed the bills. The Wyoming Republican has worked on the legislation throughout her six-year career in the House. She is leaving office at the end of the year because of term limits and won’t be able to make another try at the legislation when the new term begins in January.

“This was commonsense legislation, pure common sense,” Vorhees said. “I have no idea why she would not want to send out the message to support marriage preservation.”

Vorhees said she was willing to compromise with the administration on the legislation.

She agreed to significant changes in the main bill, including scaling it back from its original version which required couples to wait 28 days to get a marriage license if they don’t receive premarital counseling. The bill sent to Granholm kept the current three-day wait but would have allowed couples to get a marriage license the same day they applied if they received four hours of counseling from a licensed professional, such as a therapist or psychiatrist.

Supporters of the legislation said premarital counseling help couples develop the skills necessary for strong and healthy marriages. They also pointed to research that shows couples who attend receive counseling are more likely to seek help in the future if problems develop in their marriage.

Another bill in the package would have given a maximum $50 tax credit to couples who receive premarital education.

Other bills were aimed at helping the children of divorcing couples by requiring the mother than father to complete a program on the effects of divorce and complete a questionnaire. Victims of domestic violence would have been exempt.

By walterh

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