
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Lawmakers worried that it’s too easy for Kansas couples to divorce have scheduled two days of hearings on marriage.
The House Federal and State Affairs Committee kicks off the informational hearings Wednesday. Rep. Jan Pauls, a Hutchinson Republican who serves on the committee, has said the state will consider mandated counseling or longer waiting periods for people seeking divorce, provided domestic violence was not an issue.
Either person in a marriage can petition for divorce in Kansas and only has to prove the two are “incompatible.”
Kansas does not have a mandatory waiting period for divorce petitioners, nor does it require couples to go through counseling before a divorce. Judges have the discretion to order counseling and do so in some cases when children are involved.