Pennsylvania Family Law 2016 Year End Summary

Family law matters were the subject of several legislative actions in Pennsylvania this year.

Here’s a year end wrap up of where things stand on a few key bills that have affected Divorce in Pennsylvania in 2016.

*Pennsylvania House Bill 2392 (The Collaborative Law Bill): referred to the House Judiciary Committee for review on October 5, 2016. While progress may seem slow, this important bill, once passed by both houses and signed into law, will make uniform across the state the way collaborative law is practiced in Family Law. It also specifies that this dispute resolution method can be used in estate and corporation disputes.
*Pennsylvania Act 24 (Protection from Domestic Abuse during Divorce): This bill was signed into law April 21, 2016 and provides more strict definitions of acts of abuse against a spouse in a pending divorce, making it easier for the victim to complete the divorce whether or not the abuser agrees.
*Pennsylvania Act 102 (Reduction of Divorce by Separation from two years to one year): This bill was signed into law October 4, 2016 and became law on December 4, 2016. It reduces the amount of time a couple must prove separation (from two years to one year) to proceed in a no-fault divorce if the Plaintiff is filing under Section 3301(d) of the Divorce Code. Typically this is used when one spouse wants a divorce and the other refuses to sign papers that would move things along more quickly. The reduced wait time ONLY applies to couples whose separation commences “after the effective date.”
*Pennsylvania House Bill 2415 (Requiring divorcing spouses to file financial information automatically within 45 days of Complaint): This bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on October 18, 2016. Currently, divorcing spouses can only obtain financial records by asking for them through a formal  Discovery process; if passed, this bill would make it obligatory.