This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Getting married in Utah would cost $20 more under a proposal backers say may help lead to stronger, lasting marriages.

SB29 by Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, would impose that extra fee, but refund it if couples completed premarital counseling or state-approved courses.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-1 Wednesday to approve SB29 and sent it to the full Senate for consideration.

"It can make a difference in marriage," testified former Utah First Lady Jackie Leavitt, a member of the Utah Marriage Commission. She said numerous studies show "20 percent are less likely to go through divorce" if they complete such courses.

Alan Hawkins, a Brigham Young University family life professor who chairs the marriage commission, said about 10 percent of people who take the classes also choose not to marry because of red flags they discover about their relationships.

Hawkins said studies show that broken marriages may cost $200 million a year in Utah.

"These costs flow from the reality that family fragmentation is a leading cause of poverty and is associated with youth delinquency, academic underachievement and other problems that governments end up spending public resources on," he said.

Hawkins said nine other states have similar laws to encourage premarital classes.

"Premarital classes and counseling are designed to help individuals assess their readiness for marriage, evaluate the quality of the match, align expectations and plans, and strengthen commitment, communication and other relationship skills," he said. Only about a quarter of couples marrying in Utah now take the classes.

"If we charged a $1,000 for it, it would be worth it," Christensen said. "But a lot of people would forgo marriage."

The bill lists topics that must be covered in classes — but exempts churches and religious groups from following them.

Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, attempted but failed to amend the bill to ensure that churches follow the same guidelines. She then voted against its passage, saying the exemption could hurt soon-to-marry couples and was included only so churches "could feel good."

Hawkins said the cost of marriage licenses in Utah's 29 counties now varies between $25 and $50.