ALBANY — We’re the last in the nation — and it’s nobody’s fault.
Gov. Paterson yesterday signed a bill that makes New York the 50th state to enact some version of no-fault divorce legislation.
Under current law, New York judges can grant divorce only on grounds of cruelty, adultery, abandonment or imprisonment. Divorce can be finalized only one year after a separation agreement is filed, with both sides consenting.
The new measure requires one spouse to swear under oath that a relationship has broken down for at least six months. Property division, alimony, child custody and support would have to be resolved first.
“Finally, New York has brought its divorce laws into the 21st century,” Paterson said, adding that the bills “fix a broken process that produced extended and contentious litigation [and] poisoned feelings between the parties.”
Paterson also vetoed 24 spending bills that would have cost taxpayers $22.9 million to pay for unfunded mandates to state agencies and local governments.