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SC Alimony Reform and the 2nd Wives and Partners of South Carolina worked exceptionally hard this year. What follows is a recap of the 2016 accomplishments and challenges.
- We created and introduced a set of bills in the Senate and in the House this year. Each bill addresses a different aspect of alimony reform. In summary, the bills call for permanent alimony to no longer be the preferred form of alimony in South Carolina.
- We sought support for these bills in every way possible. Senator Gregory in particular sponsored and eloquently presented the Senate bills in committees. We spoke with countless legislators, wrote opinion pieces, wrote to and called legislators, did television and radio interviews, put a flyer explaining the bills in the mailbox or hand of every senator and house member, and testified at committee hearings. Our billboards have garnered new membership, and we continue to grow. Many of you--the members of South Carolina Alimony Reform and the Second Wives and Partners--were involved in these efforts, and we thank you!!!
- Ultimately, despite all the support we had from many senators and representatives, the antics of Senator Gerald Malloy blocked reform. It is shocking how broken the system is--see the link above for further details in The State newspaper.
- Lawyers in general are not our adversaries, but there is a group of attorneys, called the Matrimonial Lawyers, who have been very vocal in blocking reform and who like the system just the way it is. In our current system, scared clients going through divorce will pay family court lawyers large sums, because divorce proceedings are like making your way through a murky swamp. These lawyers don't want clear guidelines that would make fair negotiations possible and their inflated fees obsolete. However, many family court lawyers have expressed frustration with the status quo, as they see the unfair settlements day in and day out. They support reform.
- Bill S-1170, which bars the second spouse from being court-ordered to pay the alimony of a previous spouse, made it though the Senate and into the House, but was inexplicably blocked by Representative Chris Murphy. This is the least controversial of all the bills. Surely no one honestly thinks this is right. And yet, it met with resistance. This is a clear indicator that opponents of reform don't want to discuss the merits of reform; they just want to continue to benefit from a broken system.
We did not get here overnight. Several years of work led to a task force bill and study, which led to the creation and introduction of this year's bills. These are good bills, and we will reintroduce them next year. We will need to change our approach and focus on the following:
- Legislators who say they are for alimony reform but block reform will need to be addressed. You can't have it both ways.
- Since the Matrimonial Lawyers are a loud but small segment of family court lawyers, we need to continue to find support among attorneys and the will for reform that seems present within the SC Bar Association.
- Our grassroots organization will continue to grow, but with that growth comes new ways of operating.
How you can help!:
- Allow the progress we have made to encourage you. Reform takes longer than any of us would like, yet we have made great strides. We have well-written, effective bills to introduce at the onset of the next legislative session. We are further than we have ever been, and experiencing push-back from our opposition only means we have made real progress!
- Encourage one new friend, acquaintance, or family member to join SC Alimony Reform. If every member added one new member, we would double in size overnight!
- Enjoy your summer and be ready for new ideas come fall. Taking our movement to the next level will require active members!
If you have any questions, please ask. Only together can we accomplish alimony reform in South Carolina.
Thank you for your support!
The Second Wives and Partners of South Carolina
