House File 2251

                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  ALONS


    Passed House, Date               Passed Senate,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to marriage, providing an effective date, and
  2    providing for retroactive applicability.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 6131HH 80
  5 pf/sh/8

PAG LIN

  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  595.1B  EXCLUSIVITY.
  1  2    The rights, benefits, protections, responsibilities, and
  1  3 other incidents of the legal status of marriage granted by
  1  4 law, whether derived from statute, administrative or court
  1  5 rule, city or county ordinance, policy, bylaw, common law, or
  1  6 any other source of civil law, shall not be conferred upon,
  1  7 contracted for, or otherwise provided to unmarried couples or
  1  8 groups of persons.
  1  9    Sec. 2.  Section 595.20, Code 2003, is amended to read as
  1 10 follows:
  1 11    595.20  FOREIGN MARRIAGES == OTHER LEGAL AGREEMENTS ==
  1 12 VALIDITY.
  1 13    1.  A marriage which is solemnized in any other state,
  1 14 territory, country, or any foreign jurisdiction which is valid
  1 15 in that state, territory, country, or other foreign
  1 16 jurisdiction, is valid in this state if the parties meet the
  1 17 requirements for validity pursuant to section 595.2,
  1 18 subsection 1, and if the marriage would not otherwise be
  1 19 declared void.
  1 20    2.  A civil contract or other legal arrangement which is
  1 21 valid in any other state, territory, country, or any foreign
  1 22 jurisdiction and which does not confer the legal status of
  1 23 marriage upon an unmarried couple or group of persons but does
  1 24 confer upon an unmarried couple or group of persons the
  1 25 rights, benefits, protections, responsibilities, or other
  1 26 incidents of marriage granted by law, whether derived from
  1 27 statute, administrative or court rule, city or county
  1 28 ordinance, policy, bylaw, common law, or other source of civil
  1 29 law, is not valid in this state.
  1 30    Sec. 3.  EFFECTIVE DATE AND RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY.
  1 31 This Act, being deemed of immediate importance, takes effect
  1 32 upon enactment and is retroactively applicable to January 1,
  1 33 1999.
  1 34                           EXPLANATION
  1 35    This bill provides that the rights, benefits, protections,
  2  1 responsibilities, and other incidents of the legal status of
  2  2 marriage granted by law, derived from various sources, are not
  2  3 to be conferred upon, contracted for, or otherwise provided to
  2  4 unmarried couples or groups of persons.  Additionally, the
  2  5 bill provides that a civil contract or other legal arrangement
  2  6 which is valid in any other state, territory, country, or any
  2  7 foreign jurisdiction and which does not confer the legal
  2  8 status of marriage upon an unmarried couple or group of
  2  9 persons but does confer upon them the rights, benefits,
  2 10 protections, responsibilities, or other incidents of marriage
  2 11 granted by law, derived from a number of sources, is not valid
  2 12 in this state.
  2 13    The bill takes effect upon enactment and is retroactively
  2 14 applicable to January 1, 1999.
  2 15 LSB 6131HH 80
  2 16 pf/sh/8.2