BATON ROUGE — Gov. John Bel Edwards recently signed a bill expanding on and clarifying legislation related to divorce and spousal support.
Sponsored by state Rep. Patrick Jefferson (D-Homer), House Bill 125 (HB 125) grants a divorce in cases when a civil or criminal protective order was issued against a spouse in order to protect the other spouse or child.
HB 125 also amends the current law concerned with final periodic support, in which the court awards alimony to a spouse in a lump sum. The bill adjusts the language of the existing legislation, which dictates that in cases of domestic abuse, a spouse may be awarded final periodic support exceeding one-third of the offending spouse's net income.
HB 125 received 99 "yeas" and 0 "nays" before the state House of Representatives. The Senate vote was also in favor of the bill, with 33 "yeas" and 0 "nays."
With Edwards' signature, HB 125 becomes Act Number 265, which will take effect on Aug. 1.