Bill

Bill > HB4622


MI HB4622

MI HB4622
Family law: marriage and divorce; certain references in judgments of divorce; make gender neutral. Amends secs. 1 & 2 of 1909 PA 259 (MCL 552.101 & 552.102). TIE BAR WITH: HJR F'25


summary

Introduced
06/10/2025
In Committee
06/10/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead

Introduced Session

103rd Legislature

Bill Summary

A bill to amend 1909 PA 259, entitled"An act to provide that judgments of divorce and judgments of separate maintenance shall make provision in satisfaction of the claims of the wife in the property of the husband and in satisfaction of the claims of the husband and wife in contracts of insurance and annuity upon the life of the husband or wife, and in satisfaction of claims of the husband and wife in or to any pension, annuity, retirement allowance, or accumulated contributions in any pension, annuity, or retirement system, including any rights or contingent rights in and to unvested pension, annuity, or retirement benefits; and to change the tenure of lands owned by husband and wife in case of divorce, and to provide for the disposition or partition of such lands or the proceeds thereof,"by amending sections 1 and 2 (MCL 552.101 and 552.102), section 1 as amended by 2016 PA 378.

AI Summary

This bill amends existing Michigan law to make divorce-related legal language gender neutral, replacing gendered terms like "husband" and "wife" with the gender-neutral term "spouse" throughout the statute. The bill updates provisions related to divorce judgments, specifically addressing how life insurance policies, pension benefits, and real estate ownership are handled during divorce proceedings. Key changes include requiring divorce judgments to determine rights to life insurance policies and retirement benefits for both spouses equally, mandating that all components of pension and retirement benefits be included in divorce assignments unless specifically excluded, and clarifying that spouses who own real estate jointly will become tenants in common upon divorce unless the divorce judgment specifies otherwise. The bill is tied to a constitutional amendment and will only take effect if that amendment is approved. These modifications aim to modernize the language and ensure more equitable treatment of spouses in divorce proceedings by removing gender-specific terminology and standardizing how financial assets and property are divided.

Committee Categories

Government Affairs

Sponsors (27)

Last Action

Bill Electronically Reproduced 06/10/2025 (on 06/11/2025)

bill text


bill summary

Loading...

bill summary

Loading...
Loading...