Alimony reform bill: Are changes on the way?

(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - When a marriage breaks up, the D-word -- divorce -- maybe the only option. The D-word is followed by the A-word – alimony -- and that’s enough to make a grown man or woman cry. But some long overdue changes could be on the way.

The Massachusetts Bar Association has voted to support The Alimony Reform Act of 2011, landmark legislation that will enact fair and equitable alimony in Massachusetts. The MBA, a long-time proponent of improving the state's alimony laws, will advocate for the passage of the act, which will bring long-sought time limits on alimony orders.

The bill was crafted by the Legislative Task Force on Alimony Reform created by the Joint Committee on the Judiciary under the leadership of Sen. Cynthia S. Creem and Rep. Eugene L. O'Flaherty. MBA President Denise Squillante was both a member of the task force and co-chair of an earlier committee of MBA and Boston Bar Association leaders that issued a report on alimony reform in the spring of 2009.

The MBA's House of Delegates voted unanimously to support The Alimony Reform Act of 2011, which has already been filed, at its Thursday, Jan. 20 meeting at the DCU Center in Worcester. The MBA's Family Law Section has closely monitored the topic of alimony since the early 1990s, and has in the past filed a series of proposed legislation to improve alimony laws.

Among its provisions, the 2011 legislation recommends establishing separate alimony categories with clear definitions and set limits on duration; opportunities to terminate alimony at retirement; altering alimony when ex-spouses cohabitate with new partners; adding factors to consider in an alimony order; and ; and allowing judicial discretion to deviate based upon particular case facts.

Incorporated in 1911, the Massachusetts Bar Association is a non-profit organization that serves the legal profession and the public by promoting the administration of justice, legal education, professional excellence and respect for the law. The MBA represents a diverse group of attorneys, judges and legal professionals across the commonwealth.

Massachusetts Bar Association President Denise Squillante is one of the people spearheading the effort behind alimony reform. She recently joined the FOX25 Morning News with more on this.