RAHWAY, N.J., Sept. 20, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NJ Alimony Reform's efforts to bring attention to the state's out-of-date alimony laws got a boost on Wednesday, Sept. 19, when Governor Christie took time to answer questions on the subject at a Town Hall meeting his office sponsored in South Amboy.
A member of NJ Alimony Reform, the state's only reform organization, and whose membership is one-third women, was called on by the Governor. The member asked if he would sign the bill, already passed by the Assembly, establishing a Blue Ribbon Commission to study the state's alimony laws. These laws were last studied and seriously revised 35 years ago, when only women received alimony and long before women achieved the economic gains they have made since then. The bill authorizing the Commission has yet to be voted on by the Senate.
The Governor replied that "alimony and divorce law reform is long overdue" in New Jersey, and that he would lean toward signing a bill to form a study Commission if it passes the Senate without substantive changes.
"We are thrilled to hear that the Governor is up to speed on this issue," said NJAR's President, Tom Leustek, "and that he understands how out-of-synch and oppressive these laws are. Our members are men and women across the state, who are unfairly burdened by obligations that are often impossible to meet in this economy. Payers who don't have the income to pay are often sent to jail."
The questioner also asked Gov. Christie what people can do to encourage the Senate to take up the bill authorizing the Commission, which the Assembly passed in June 2012, sponsored by Assemblymen Troy Singleton and Sean Kean, and Senators Robert Singer and Loretta Weinberg.
The Governor advised citizens to keep after their Senators, write to them, meet with them, and get friends and family to contact legislators.
NJAR President Tom Leustek pointed out that New Jersey's alimony laws are among the most antiquated in the country, and he noted that Massachusetts, whose laws were similarly out-of-date, were rewritten for the 21st century and its new laws took effect on March 1, 2012. New York State's laws were revised significantly in the 1970s, and are continually being updated to reflect current trends and needs. The emphasis in New York and Massachusetts is that alimony laws are gender neutral, that divorce is a common life event, and that both parties should strive for eventual independence, not permanent entanglement.
Mr. Leustek noted that career opportunities for women abound and that recent data from the Office of Labor and Statistics show that in 38% of married households, the woman out-earns her husband. Yet in New Jersey, alimony is awarded predominantly to women and is usually a lifetime order for marriages lasting as few as 10 years. The statutory term for lifetime alimony is "Permanent Alimony."
For more information on New Jersey's alimony laws, please contact Tom Leustek at (908) 866-6527 http://www.njalimonyreform.org/