Bill > SB116

This bill addresses spousal maintenance (alimony) guidelines in Colorado with a specific focus on protecting domestic violence victims. The legislation introduces several key changes, including expanding the court's ability to consider a spouse's history of abuse when determining spousal maintenance. Specifically, the bill defines and allows courts to evaluate various forms of abuse such as domestic violence, coercive control, economic abuse, litigation abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and unlawful sexual behavior. The bill provides detailed definitions for terms like economic abuse, which includes behaviors that manipulate or control a person's financial resources, such as restricting access to money, stealing assets, or preventing someone from working. It also extends the period for disclosing prior protection orders from two to five years and ensures that courts can review a spouse's criminal and abuse history when making spousal maintenance determinations. The bill aims to prevent scenarios where a financially secure victim might be forced to pay spousal support to their abuser by giving judges more comprehensive information and discretion in making these decisions. The legislation applies to the approximately 25,000-30,000 divorces filed annually in Colorado, with an estimated 15-30% involving domestic violence.

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https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb25-116