Posted 4/12/2007 05:55:00 PM by Douglas

No sooner had I blogged a dumb law, it gets shot down.

The Texas House said no today to doubling or tripling marriage license fees unless couples agree to take a pre-nuptial class in how to be a good spouse.

Before final passage of the so-called "healthy marriage" bill today, author Rep. Warren Chisum agreed to merely double the current $30 marriage license fee to $60.

Wait, what? The class got shot down, but they agreed to double the marriage fee? Yeah, that's one way to encourage healthy marriage. Idiot.

Wednesday the House had voted to more than triple the fee to $100.

But, Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, convinced the Republican-dominated House that any increase in the marriage license fee is a "marriage tax."

She said the government should not be in the game of "making a profit off the public" and if the "name of the game is marriage," it made no sense to increase marriage license fees.

That's just precious. "Making a profit off the public" is ALL the state does. Isn't it just adorable when they say things like this? The camera must have been pointed at her at the time.

The House agreed with Thompson to roll the fee back to $30 on a vote of 76-61. A couple could still avoid paying the $30 licensing fee by instead applying for a grant to pay for the counseling class, but the incentive of avoiding a $100 fee is minimized.

Yeah, minimized by about $70, if my math is correct. So there's no fee if you take the class? That might be an incentive. Pay $30 or suffer eight hours of State brainwashing. No wait, I'd still rather pay the money.

Warren Chisum, you crazy old gay-hating bigot, drive it home for us:

"Evidently the House floor is not interested in helping marriages stay together,"said a disappointed Chisum.

"I think it severely damaged the bill," he added. "Now I think people will just pay $30 and not go through an eight-hour course. What she's done is destroy the effect of the bill."

I'm sure most Texans will agree with me and thank Mr. Chisum for single-handedly ensuring the future of marriage in Texas, but geez man, you've been in Austin too long. You're starting to believe your own bullshit. Of course, just as clearly as night follows day, no one on the House floor cares about marriage in Texas because they shot down your idiotic bill.

Now go back to the sarcophagus in your lair and sleep it off. You can introduce another even dumber bill tomorrow.

Labels: HB 2685