Massachusetts divorce lawyer Jason V. Owens checks the pulse of the Massachusetts Alimony Re-Reform Bill, which is mired in the state senate as the 2016 legislativ

e session nears its close.

With the 2016 Massachusetts legislative session winding down, advocates fear an alimony “re-reform” bill that unanimously passed the House last month will die in the state senate after stalling in the Ways and Means Committee. The bill, which passed the house in a unanimous 156-0 vote last month, has not received a vote in the state senate in more than a month. In an email sent yesterday, Stephen K. Hitner, President of Massachusetts Alimony Reform, indicated that he believed the bill would be “dead” if the senate failed to vote before the state’s 2016 legislative session ends on July 31, 2016. Hitner is imploring Massachusetts voters to contact state senators in their districts to urge a vote on the bill. According to Hitner, the bill has faced opposition in the senate from the same groups that opposed the original Alimony Reform Act of 2011, writing:

I have been advised by credible people that there are some Lawyers and some people representing the legal Bars who are against the passage of H4427. These people honestly believe that the SJC ruled correctly. They have clients who they represented and they do not want to have to tell them that they were wrong.

These are the same people who tried to prevent the passage of the Alimony Reform Act of 2011.

The only way to fight this is with your voices, your horror stories, and most all your SENATOR’S immediate ACTION.

The current version of the bill, H4427, has been mired for more than a month in the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which is chaired by Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). Hitner is specifically reaching out to activists who share a personal relationship with members of the Ways and Means Committee, writing to followers on Wednesday:

We need people with personal relationships with Senators on the Senate Ways and Means Committee to push for their action.The Senate Session is ending this Sunday July 31, 2016.

If you know a Senator on Personal Level, I need you to contact me immediately.

Unless a Senator pushes hard for the Ways and Means Committee to approve and send H 4427 for a Senate Vote on Saturday or Sunday, the Bill is Dead!

Unless the Ways and Means Committee approves and sends the Alimony Re-Reform Bill to the Senate for a Vote, thousands of alimony payors can never hope to retire.

Unless the Ways and Means Committee approves and sends the Alimony Re-Reform Bill to the Senate for a Vote, thousands of alimony payors will continue to support an ex-spouses significant other!

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About the Author: Jason V. Owens is a Massachusetts divorce lawyer and Massachusetts family law attorney for Lynch & Owens, located in Hingham, Massachusetts.

Schedule a consultation with Jason V. Owens today at (781) 253-2049 or send him an email