After a divorce, sometimes one spouse will end up having to pay spousal support to the other spouse. However, many people have been arguing that Florida’s alimony laws are highly susceptible to abuse and require serious reform. This blog has been diligently keeping up-to-date with the debate over state alimony laws and last reported on the issue in April 2012. Now a group of advocates supporting alimony reform claim that they have found lawmakers who will attempt to pass a bill designed to change alimony laws in Florida.
The same legislation was actually introduced last year in the House and was successful in passing overwhelmingly. However, the legislation ended up being stopped when it was sent to the Florida Senate. Lawmakers supporting the bill say that they are not against alimony; they just want to prevent abuse of alimony. The purpose of the legislation is to simplify the existing code to ensure fairness.
Supporters of reform are arguing for specific changes to the state law regarding alimony. They believe that permanent alimony should be removed from the state law. Advocates also believe that there should be a standard formula which should be applied when calculating spousal support amounts. This formula should take into consideration the incomes of both spouses, according to advocates. They also do not think that the income from a second spouse should be used to increase spousal support.
These are just a few of the changes to alimony law that advocates are asking for in Florida. Those who are looking to divorce in the near future would be wise to pay attention to the changes which may occur regarding spousal support. Knowledge of the applicable laws and regulations will play a significant role in making decisions throughout the divorce process.
