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Show Marriage rulings endorsed by family service Tho Diwvtor of the Utah Dl-vision Dl-vision of Family Services, Richard P. Lindsay, expressed hope- that recently enacted legislation requiring divorced persons with children to meet certain legal requrements be- lore marrying win evenuiauy reduce the State's public assistance as-sistance caseload. This statement state-ment was made before region-al region-al directors who met in Salt Lake City July 10-11, to discuss dis-cuss ways In which improvements improve-ments could be made in Division Di-vision operations and services. The Research Bureau of the Division will study very carefully care-fully the Impact of the now law on Aid to Families with Dependent Children which comprises the highest category cate-gory of public assistance rendered rend-ered (S percent. Senate Bill 63', passed by the 1!H! Legislature, now requires re-quires that a person obligated to pay child support may not be granted a marriage license until a statement is signed by the prospective spouse ac-knowldtfiny ac-knowldtfiny ihiu nrevious ob- ligation. The obligation person per-son also is required to file with the county clerk a statement state-ment verifying that he is not In default with these child support payments at the time of application for a marriage license. Persons marrying outside out-side Utah for the purpose of violating these requirements of law are guilty of a misdemeanor. mis-demeanor. The Director noted that, while it is difficult to legislate legis-late responsibility, the law should provide restraints to those who abdicate their responsibility re-sponsibility as parents and assume as-sume that their financial obligation ob-ligation to their children will be assumed by others. An appeal ap-peal may be made, nevertheless, neverthe-less, when the district court refuses to issue authorization for a mariage license. Fathers of children dependent depend-ent upon public assistance are absent mostly as a result of divorce or legal separation (30'). Others are not married to the mother of the child (8),, have deserted (&'), have separated without court decree (G'i),. are imprisoned (4'f), and are absent for other oth-er reasons in, 2 percent of cases.. cas-es.. ; The remaining 44 percent of fathers in the AFDC program are disabled or unemployed but still in the home. During January 1969, there were 22,-000 22,-000 children, 5,520 mothers and 2,780 fathers in homes receiving re-ceiving Aid to Families with Dependent Chldren in Utah. The total for all categories of j assistance was 43,860. |