Would $100 marriage-license fee help prevent divorce?
by: Jeff Kunerth 03/18/09 The leader of the movement to ban same-sex marriage in Florida now wants to make it harder and more expensive for heterosexual couples to marry — and divorce. Just as he says gay unions would undercut the institution of marriage, John Stemberger thinks the casual way people get married and the ease by which they can divorce threatens the foundation of society. His goal is to change that. “Harder to get in and harder to get out,” said Stemberger, head of the Orlando-based Florida Family Policy Council. Stemberger’s “Strong Marriages Campaign” is promoting a Premarital Preparation bill before the Florida Legislature that would add $100 to the state’s marriage-license fee. Those who attend eight hours of premarital counseling would get their money back. Money not returned to couples would go into a Marriage Education Trust Fund, which would provide grants to premarital counseling groups. The Florida Senate’s committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs is sc
