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1996 SESSION

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960388136
HOUSE BILL NO. 616 AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE (Proposed by the House Committee for Court of Justice on February 11, 1996) (Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Brickley) A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 20-16.01, relating to marriage.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 20-16.01 as follows:

§ 20-16.01. Marriage pamphlet to contain spousal abuse statement.

Beginning January 1, 1997, the State Department of Health shall require the Division of Vital Statistics to include within the pamphlet of marriage requirements the following statement in bold capital letters at least equal in size to the letters used in the wording of the pamphlet:

THE LAWS OF THE COMMONWEALTH AFFIRM YOUR RIGHT TO ENTER INTO THIS MARRIAGE AS AN EQUAL PARTNER AND AT THE SAME TIME LIVE WITHIN YOUR MARRIAGE FREE FROM VIOLENCE AND ABUSE. NEITHER OF YOU IS THE PROPERTY OF THE OTHER. LAWS REGARDING PHYSICAL ABUSE, SEXUAL ABUSE, BATTERY AND ASSAULT OF A SPOUSE OR OTHER FAMILY MEMBER, AS WELL AS OTHER PROVISIONS OF THE CRIMINAL LAWS OF THIS COMMONWEALTH, ARE APPLICABLE TO SPOUSES AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS AND VIOLATIONS THEREOF ARE PUNISHABLE BY LAW.