HB 1482: Office of Marriage Promotion

Rep. Thompson has introduced HB 1482 which would establish the “Office of Marriage Promotion,” a new bit of bureaucracy controlled by the governor. It doesn’t really have a specific charge except to promote the goal of increasing the number of children born to married parents. (Not to quibble, but if we’re going this direction, shouldn’t the goal be to decrease the number of children born to unmarried parents — we’re not, I don’t think trying to increase the overall population so much as trying to mitigate the perceived problems with unmarried parents.)

To promote that goal, the office is supposed to promote the following ideas:

(1) Children born to married parents are more likely to better develop academically and socially.

(2) Children born to married parents are more likely to be physically and emotionally healthier.

(3) Children born into single parent households are more likely to live in poverty, commit crimes, commit suicide, use illegal drugs and tobacco, drop out of school, be an unemployed adult, and be incarcerated. Nothing in this subdivision is meant to diminish the amount of hard work that all parents experience in raising a child.

That last line in subdivision (3) with a legislative version of “no offense,” made me think of Rodney Dangerfield in Caddy Shack:

Al Czervik: Oh, this is the worst-looking hat I ever saw. What, when you buy a hat like this I bet you get a free bowl of soup, huh?
[looks at Judge Smails, who’s wearing the same hat]
Al Czervik: Oh, it looks good on you though.