WEXLER: CONGRESS MUST ACT TO STOP DEADBEAT SPOUSES

(Washington, DC) Congressman Robert Wexler’s (D-FL)’s legislation to strengthen enforcement of spousal court-ordered marital property distributions is gaining momentum in the US House of Representatives.

Introduced in the 110th Congress as H.R. 871 or “Jane’s Law,” Rep. Wexler’s bill seals a critical loophole in the federal judicial system that has enabled thousands of former spouses to simply cross state lines and avoid the payment of property assets to their estranged spouses. Currently, it is nearly impossible for law enforcement to enforce a court-order from another state, and the deadbeat spouse can easily slip away.

“These spouses are manipulating the system, and this flagrant evasion of court-ordered property distribution demands action from Congress,” said Rep. Wexler. “The fact that someone can just cross state lines, avoid a court order, and escape just payment to a former spouse is a glaring gap in our judicial system that places enormous financial burden on thousands of Americans.”

The bill is named after Jane Maharam, a 76 year old woman who passionately brought the current gap in divorce law to the attention of the House of Representatives. Congressman Wexler’s legislation will restore accountability to the marital property distribution system and make it illegal to steal marital property by crossing state lines.

19 Members of Congress have joined Rep. Wexler’s as sponsors of this legislation, including Rep. Bishop, Rep. Burton, Rep. Carson, Rep. Cummings, Rep. Filner, Rep. Al Green, Rep. Gene Green, Rep. Jackson-Lee, Rep. Kucinich, Rep. Lee, Rep. Lewis, Rep. Lowey, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Rep. Nadler, Rep. Payne, Rep. Rothman, Rep. Schakowsky, Rep. Watson, Rep. Weiner, and Rep. Woolsey.

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Congressman Wexler is Chairman of the Europe Subcommittee and a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Judiciary Committee; and he also sits on the Financial Services Committee.

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