LD 195
pg. 1
LD 195 Title Page An Act to Place a Time Limit on the Award of Spousal Support LD 195 Title Page
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LR 570
Item 1

 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

 
Sec. 1. 19-A MRSA §951-A, sub-§2, ķA, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 634,
§3, is amended to read:

 
A. General support may be awarded to provide financial
assistance to a spouse with substantially less income
potential than the other spouse so that both spouses can
maintain a reasonable standard of living after the divorce.

 
(1) There is a rebuttable presumption that general
support may not be awarded if the parties were married
for less than 10 years as of the date of the filing of
the action for divorce. There is also a rebuttable
presumption that general General support may not be
awarded for a term exceeding 1/2 the length of the
marriage if the parties were married for at least 10
years but not more than 20 40 years as of the date of
the filing of the action for divorce. General support
may not be awarded for a term exceeding 20 years if the
parties were married for more than 40 years.

 
(2) If the court finds that a spousal support award
based upon a presumption established by this paragraph
would be inequitable or unjust, that finding is
sufficient to rebut the applicable presumption.

 
SUMMARY

 
This bill limits the payment of spousal support to a term not
to exceed 1/2 the length of a marriage for parties who have been
married up to 40 years and limits the payment of spousal support
to 20 years for parties who have been married for more than 40
years.


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