Senate Bill No. 580

(By Senators Deem, Sharpe, Helmick, Sprouse and Ross)

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[Introduced February 17, 1998; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact sections one, fifteen and sixteen, article two, chapter forty-eight of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, all relating to relief upon ordering divorce or granting decree of separate maintenance; amending the definition of income; specifying what may or may not be considered in awarding alimony or separate maintenance; and establishing a maximum amount of alimony or separate maintenance that may be awarded, expressed in terms of a certain percentage of the payor's income.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That sections one, fifteen and sixteen, article two, chapter forty-eight of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. DIVORCE, ANNULMENT AND SEPARATE MAINTENANCE.

§48-2-1. Definitions.

(a) "Alimony" means the allowance which a person pays to or in behalf of the support of his or her spouse or divorced spouse while they are separated or after they are divorced. The payment of alimony may be required by court order or by the terms of a separation agreement. Alimony may be paid in a lump sum or paid in installments as periodic alimony. Alimony includes temporary alimony as that term is used in section thirteen of this article, as well as alimony as that term is used in section fifteen of this article and elsewhere throughout this article.
(b) "Antenuptial agreement" or "prenuptial agreement" means an agreement between a man and woman before marriage, but in contemplation and generally in consideration of marriage, whereby the property rights and interests of the prospective husband and wife, or both of them, are determined, or where property is secured to either or both of them, to their separate estate, or to their children or other persons. An antenuptial agreement may include provisions which define the respective property rights of the parties during the marriage, or in the event of the death of either or both of the parties, and may provide for the disposition of marital property upon an annulment of the marriage or a divorce or separation of the parties. A prenuptial agreement is void if at the time it is made either of the parties is a minor.
(c) "Earnings" means compensation paid or payable for personal services, whether denominated as wages, salary, commission, bonus, or otherwise, and includes periodic payments pursuant to a pension or retirement program. "Disposable earnings" means that part of the earnings of any individual remaining after the deduction from those earnings of any amounts required by law to be withheld.
(d) "Income" includes, but is not limited to, the following:
(1) Commissions, earnings, salaries, wages, and other income due or to be due in the future to an individual from his employer and successor employers;
(2) Any payment due or to be due in the future to an individual from a profit-sharing plan, a pension plan, an insurance contract, an annuity, social security, unemployment compensation, supplemental employment benefits, workers' compensation benefits and state lottery winnings and prizes; and overtime pay;
(3) Any amount of money which is owing to an individual as a debt from an individual, partnership, association, public or private corporation, the United States or any federal agency, this state or any political subdivision of this state, any other state or a political subdivision of another state, or any other legal entity which is indebted to the obligor: Provided, that this subdivision does not include income or other employment- related tax returns.
(e) "Marital property" means:
(1) All property and earnings acquired by either spouse during a marriage, including every valuable right and interest, corporeal or incorporeal, tangible or intangible, real or personal, regardless of the form of ownership, whether legal or beneficial, whether individually held, held in trust by a third party, or whether held by the parties to the marriage in some form of co-ownership such as joint tenancy or tenancy in common, joint tenancy with the right of survivorship, or any other form of shared ownership recognized in other jurisdictions without this state, except that marital property shall not include separate property as defined in subsection (f) of this section; and
(2) The amount of any increase in value in the separate property of either of the parties to a marriage, which increase results from (A) an expenditure of funds which are marital property, including an expenditure of such funds which reduces indebtedness against separate property, extinguishes liens, or otherwise increases the net value of separate property, or (B) work performed by either or both of the parties during the marriage.
The definitions of "marital property" contained in this subsection and "separate property" contained in subsection (f) of this section shall have no application outside of the provisions of this article, and the common law as to the ownership of the respective property and earnings of a husband and wife, as altered by the provisions of article three of this chapter and other provisions of this code, are not abrogated by implication or otherwise, except as expressly provided for by the provisions of this article as such provisions are applied in actions brought under this article or for the enforcement of rights under this article.
(f) "Separate property" means:
(1) Property acquired by a person before marriage; or
(2) Property acquired by a person during marriage in exchange for separate property which was acquired before the marriage; or
(3) Property acquired by a person during marriage, but excluded from treatment as marital property by a valid agreement of the parties entered into before or during the marriage; or
(4) Property acquired by a party during marriage by gift, bequest, devise, descent or distribution; or
(5) Property acquired by a party during a marriage but after the separation of the parties and before the granting of a divorce, annulment or decree of separate maintenance; or
(6) Any increase in the value of separate property as defined in subdivision (1), (2), (3), (4) or (5) of this subsection which is due to inflation or to a change in market value resulting from conditions outside the control of the parties.
(g) "Separation" or "separation of the parties" means the separation of the parties next preceding the filing of an action under the provisions of this article, which separation continues, without the parties cohabiting or otherwise living together as husband and wife, and without interruption.
(h) "Separation agreement" means a written agreement entered into by a husband and wife whereby they agree to live separate and apart from each other and, in connection therewith, agree to settle their property rights; or to provide for the custody and support of their minor child or children, if any; or to provide for the payment or waiver of alimony by either party to the other; or to otherwise settle and compromise issues arising out of their marital rights and obligations. Insofar as an antenuptial agreement as defined in subsection (b) of this section affects the property rights of the parties or the disposition of property upon an annulment of the marriage, or a divorce or separation of the parties, such antenuptial agreement shall be regarded as a separation agreement under the provisions of this article.
§48-2-15. Relief upon ordering divorce or annulment or granting decree of separate maintenance.
(a) Upon ordering a divorce or granting a decree of separate maintenance, the court may require either party to pay alimony in the form of periodic installments, or a lump sum, or both, for the maintenance of the other party. Payments of alimony are to be ordinarily made from a party's income, but when the income is not sufficient to adequately provide for those payments, the court may, upon specific findings set forth in the order, order the party required to make those payments to make them from the corpus of his or her separate estate. An The primary consideration of the court in any award of alimony or separate maintenance shall not be disproportionate be that the amount ordered, if any, is proportionate to a party's the relative need and ability to pay of both parties, as disclosed by the evidence before the court: Provided, That notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, no award of alimony or separate maintenance may exceed sixty-six and two thirds percent of the income of the party ordered to pay such alimony or separate maintenance.
(b) Upon ordering the annulment of a marriage or a divorce or granting of decree of separate maintenance, the court may further order all or any part of the following relief:
(1) The court may provide for the custody of minor children of the parties, subject to such rights of visitation, both in and out of the residence of the custodial parent or other person or persons having custody, as may be appropriate under the circumstances. In every action where visitation is awarded, the court shall specify a schedule for visitation by the noncustodial parent: Provided, That with respect to any existing order which provided for visitation but which does not provide a specific schedule for visitation by the noncustodial parent, upon motion of any party, notice of hearing and hearing, the court shall issue an order which provides a specific schedule of visitation by the noncustodial parent;
(2) When the action involves a minor child or children, the court shall require either party to pay child support in the form of periodic installments for the maintenance of the minor children of the parties in accordance with support guidelines promulgated pursuant to section one, article one-b, chapter forty-eight-a of this code. Payments of child support are to be ordinarily made from a party's income, but in cases when the income is not sufficient to adequately provide for those payments, the court may, upon specific findings set forth in the order, order the party required to make those payments to make them from the corpus of his or her separate estate;
(3) When the action involves a minor child or children, the court shall provide for medical support for any minor children in accordance with section fifteen-a of this article;
(4) As an incident to requiring the payment of alimony or child support, the court may order either party to continue in effect existing policies of insurance covering the costs of health care and hospitalization of the other party: Provided, That if the other party is no longer eligible to be covered by such insurance because of the granting of an annulment or divorce, the court may require a party to substitute such insurance with a new policy to cover the other party or may consider the prospective cost of such insurance in awarding alimony to be paid in periodic installments. Payments made to an insurer pursuant to this subdivision, either directly or by a deduction from wages, shall be deemed to be alimony or installment payments for the distribution of marital property, in such proportion as the court shall direct: Provided, however, That if the court does not set forth in the order that a portion of such payments is to be deemed installment payments for the distribution of marital property, then all such payments made pursuant to this subdivision shall be deemed to be alimony: Provided further, That the designation of insurance coverage as alimony under the provisions of this subdivision shall not, in and of itself, give rise to a subsequent modification of the order to provide for alimony other than insurance for covering the costs of health care and hospitalization;
(5) The court may grant the exclusive use and occupancy of the marital home to one of the parties, together with all or a portion of the household goods, furniture and furnishings reasonably necessary for such use and occupancy. Such use and occupancy shall be for a definite period, ending at a specific time set forth in the order, subject to modification upon the petition of either party. Except in extraordinary cases supported by specific findings set forth in the order granting relief, a grant of the exclusive use and occupancy of the marital home shall be limited to those situations when such use and occupancy is reasonably necessary to accommodate the rearing of minor children of the parties. The court may require payments to third parties in the form of home loan installments, land contract payments, rent, property taxes and insurance coverage if the amount of such coverage is reduced to a fixed monetary amount set forth in the court's order. When such third party payments are ordered, the court shall specify whether such payments or portions of payments are alimony, child support, a partial distribution of marital property or an allocation of marital debt: Provided, That if the court does not set forth in the order that a portion of such payments is to be deemed child support or installment payments for the distribution of marital property, then all such payments made pursuant to this subdivision shall be deemed to be alimony. When such third party payments are ordered, the court shall specify whether such payments or portions of payments are alimony, child support, a partial distribution of marital property or an allocation of marital debt. If the payments are not designated in an order and the parties have waived any right to receive alimony, the court may designate the payments upon motion by any party. Nothing contained in this subdivision shall abrogate an existing contract between either of the parties and a third party or affect the rights and liabilities of either party or a third party under the terms of such contract;
(6) As an incident to requiring the payment of alimony, the court may grant the exclusive use and possession of one or more motor vehicles to either of the parties. The court may require payments to third parties in the form of automobile loan installments or insurance coverage if available at reasonable rates, and any such payments made pursuant to this subdivision for the benefit of the other party shall be deemed to be alimony or installment payments for the distribution of marital property, as the court may direct. Nothing contained in this subdivision shall abrogate an existing contract between either of the parties and a third party or affect the rights and liabilities of either party or a third party under the terms of such contract;
(7) When the pleadings include a specific request for specific property or raise issues concerning the equitable division of marital property as defined in section one of this article, the court shall order such relief as may be required to effect a just and equitable distribution of the property and to protect the equitable interests of the parties therein;
(8) Unless a contrary disposition is ordered pursuant to other provisions of this section, then upon the motion of either party, the court may compel the other party to deliver to the moving party any of his or her separate estate which may be in the possession or control of the respondent party and may make such further order as is necessary to prevent either party from interfering with the separate estate of the other;
(9) When allegations of abuse have been proven, the court shall enjoin the offending party from molesting or interfering with the other, or otherwise imposing any restraint on the personal liberty of the other or interfering with the custodial or visitation rights of the other. Such order may permanently enjoin the offending party from entering the school, business or place of employment of the other for the purpose of molesting or harassing the other; or from contacting the other, in person or by telephone, for the purpose of harassment or threats; or from harassing or verbally abusing the other in a public place;
(10) The court may order either party to take necessary steps to transfer utility accounts and other accounts for recurring expenses from the name of one party into the name of the other party or from the joint names of the parties into the name of one party. Nothing contained in this subdivision shall affect the liability of the parties for indebtedness on any such account incurred before the transfer of such account.
(c) When an annulment or divorce is denied, the court shall retain jurisdiction of the case and may order all or any portion of the relief provided for in subsections (a) and (b) of this section which has been demanded or prayed for in the pleadings.
(d) When a divorce or annulment is granted in this state upon constructive service of process and personal jurisdiction is thereafter obtained of the defendant in such case, the court may order all or any portion of the relief provided for in subsections (a) and (b) of this section which has been demanded or prayed for in the pleadings.
(e) After the entry of an order pursuant to the provisions of this section, the court may revise the order concerning the maintenance of the parties and enter a new order concerning the same, as the circumstances of the parties may require.
The court may also from time to time afterward, upon motion of either of the parties and upon proper service, revise such order to grant relief pursuant to subdivision (9), subsection (b) of this section, and enter a new order concerning the same, as the circumstances of the parties and the benefit of children may require. The court may also from time to time afterward, upon the motion of either of the parties or other proper person having actual or legal custody of the minor child or children of the parties, revise or alter the order concerning the custody and support of the children, and make a new order concerning the same, issuing it forthwith, as the circumstances of the parents or other proper person or persons and the benefit of the children may require: Provided, That all orders modifying child support shall be in conformance with the requirements of support guidelines promulgated pursuant to article one-b, chapter forty-eight-a of this code: Provided, however, That an order providing for child support payments may be revised or altered for the reason, inter alia, that the existing order provides for child support payments in an amount that is less than eighty-five percent or more than one hundred fifteen percent of the amount that would be required to be paid under the child support guidelines promulgated pursuant to the provisions of said section.
In granting relief under this subsection, the court may, when other means are not conveniently available, alter any prior order of the court with respect to the distribution of marital property, if such property is still held by the parties, and if necessary to give effect to a modification of alimony, child support or child custody or necessary to avoid an inequitable or unjust result which would be caused by the manner in which the modification will affect the prior distribution of marital property.
(f) When a separation agreement is the basis for an award of alimony, the court, in approving the agreement, shall examine the agreement to ascertain whether it clearly provides for alimony to continue beyond the death of the payor party or to cease in such event. When alimony is to be paid pursuant to the terms of a separation agreement which does not state whether the payment of alimony is to continue beyond the death of the payor party or is to cease, or when the parties have not entered into a separation agreement and alimony is to be awarded, the court shall specifically state as a part of its order whether such payments of alimony are to be continued beyond the death of the payor party or cease.
(g) When a separation agreement is the basis for an award of alimony, the court, in approving the agreement, shall examine the agreement to ascertain whether it clearly provides for alimony to continue beyond the remarriage of the payee party or to cease in such event. When alimony is to be paid pursuant to the terms of a separation agreement which does not state whether the payment of alimony is to continue beyond the remarriage of the payee party or is to cease, or when the parties have not entered into a separation agreement and alimony is to be awarded, the court shall specifically state as a part of its order whether such payments of alimony are to be continued beyond the remarriage of the payee party or cease.
(h) In addition to the disclosure requirements set forth in section thirty-three of this article, the court may order accounts to be taken as to all or any part of marital property or the separate estates of the parties and may direct that the accounts be taken as of the date of the marriage, the date upon which the parties separated or any other time in assisting the court in the determination and equitable division of property.
(i) In determining whether alimony is to be awarded, or in determining the amount of alimony, if any, to be awarded under the provisions of this section, the court shall consider and compare the fault or misconduct of either or both of the parties and the effect of such fault or misconduct as a contributing factor to the deterioration of the marital relationship: Provided, That, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the court may not order an award of alimony against a faultless party nor may the court order an award of alimony against one party when that party has greater need and/or lesser ability to pay than the other party. However, Alimony shall not be awarded when both parties prove grounds for divorce and are denied a divorce, nor shall an award of alimony under the provisions of this section be ordered which directs the payment of alimony to a party determined to be at fault, when, as a grounds granting the divorce, such party is determined by the court:
(1) To have committed adultery; or
(2) To have been convicted for the commission of a crime which is a felony, subsequent to the marriage if such conviction has become final; or
(3) To have actually abandoned or deserted his or her spouse for six months.
(j) Whenever under the terms of this section or section thirteen of this article a court enters an order requiring the payment of alimony or child support, if the court anticipates the payment of such alimony or child support or any portion thereof to be paid out of "disposable retired or retainer pay" as that term is defined in 10 U.S.C. §1408, relating to members or former members of the uniformed services of the United States, the court shall specifically provide for the payment of an amount, expressed in dollars or as a percentage of disposable retired or retainer pay, from the disposable retired or retainer pay of the payor party to the payee party.
(k) Any order which provides for the custody or support of a minor child shall include:
(1) The name of the custodian;
(2) The amount of the support payments;
(3) The date the first payment is due;
(4) The frequency of the support payments;
(5) The event or events which trigger termination of the support obligation;
(6) A provision regarding wage withholding;
(7) The address where payments shall be sent;
(8) A provision for medical support; and
(9) When child support guidelines are not followed, a specific written finding pursuant to section fourteen, article one-b, chapter forty-eight-a of this code.
(l) (1) Unless the best interests of the child require otherwise, every final order and every modification order which provides for the custody of a minor child of the parties shall also provide for the following:
(A) The custodial parent shall be required to authorize school authorities in the school in which the child is enrolled to release to the noncustodial parent copies of any and all information concerning the child which would otherwise be properly released to the custodial parent;
(B) The custodial parent shall be required, promptly after receipt, to transmit to the noncustodial parent a copy of the child's grades or report card and copies of any other reports reflecting the status or progress of the child;
(C) The custodial parent shall be required, when practicable, to arrange appointments for parent-teacher conferences at a time when the noncustodial parent can be present;
(D) The custodial parent shall be required to authorize medical providers to release to the noncustodial parent copies of any and all information concerning medical care provided to the child which would otherwise be properly released to the custodial parent;
(E) The custodial parent shall be required to promptly inform the noncustodial parent of any illness of the child which requires medical attention; or, if the child is in the actual physical custody of the noncustodial parent during a period of visitation, the noncustodial parent shall be required to promptly inform the custodial parent of any illness of the child which requires medical attention;
(F) The custodial parent shall be required to consult with the noncustodial parent prior to any elective surgery being performed on the child; and in the event emergency medical procedures are undertaken for the child which require the parental consent of either parent, if time permits, the other parent shall be consulted, or if time does not permit such consultation, the other parent shall be promptly informed of such emergency medical procedures: Provided, That the same duty to inform the custodial parent applies to the noncustodial parent in the event that the emergency medical procedures are required while the child is in the physical custody of the noncustodial parent during a period of visitation: Provided, however, That nothing contained herein shall be deemed to alter or amend the law of this state as it otherwise pertains to physicians or health care facilities obtaining parental consent prior to providing medical care or performing medical procedures.
(2) In the event a custodial parent shall fail or refuse to authorize the release of school or medical records as provided for by subdivision (1) of this subsection, then upon the ex parte application of the noncustodial parent, the family law master shall prepare an order for entry by the circuit court which appoints the family law master as a special commissioner authorized to execute a consent for the release of such records and direct it to the appropriate school authorities or medical providers.
 §48-2-16. Effect of separation agreement; what considered in awarding alimony, child support or separate maintenance.
(a) In cases where the parties to an action commenced under the provisions of this article have executed a separation agreement, if the court finds that the agreement is fair and reasonable, and not obtained by fraud, duress or other unconscionable conduct by one of the parties, and further finds that the parties, through the separation agreement, have expressed themselves in terms which, if incorporated into a judicial order, would be enforceable by a court in future proceedings, then the court shall conform the relief which it is authorized to order under the provisions of sections thirteen and fifteen of this article to the separation agreement of the parties. The separation agreement may contractually fix the division of property between the parties and may determine whether alimony shall be awarded, whether a court shall have continuing jurisdiction over the amount of an alimony award so as to increase or decrease the amount of alimony to be paid, whether alimony shall be awarded as a lump sum settlement in lieu of periodic payments, whether alimony shall continue beyond the death of the payor party or the remarriage of the payee party, or whether the alimony award shall be enforceable by contempt proceedings or other judicial remedies aside from contractual remedies. Any award of periodic payments of alimony shall be deemed to be judicially decreed and subject to subsequent modification unless there is some explicit, well expressed, clear, plain and unambiguous provision to the contrary set forth in the court approved separation agreement or the order granting the divorce. Child support shall, under all circumstances, always be subject to continuing judicial modification.
(b) In cases where the parties to an action commenced under the provisions of this article have not executed a separation agreement, or have executed an agreement which is incomplete or insufficient to resolve the outstanding issues between the parties, or where the court finds the separation agreement of the parties not to be fair and reasonable or clear and unambiguous, the court shall proceed to resolve the issues outstanding between the parties. The court shall consider the following factors in determining the amount of alimony, child support or separate maintenance, if any, to be ordered under the provisions of sections thirteen and fifteen of this article, as a supplement to or in lieu of the separation agreement:
(1) The length of time the parties were married;
(2) The period of time during the marriage when the parties actually lived together as husband and wife;
(3) The present and potential employment income and other regularly recurring earnings of each party from any source: Provided, That notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, in ordering an award of alimony or separate maintenance, the court may not consider one-time employment related income that does not recur regularly in terms of either frequency or amount, such as compensation paid for personal services as overtime pay or income or other employment-related tax refunds;
(4) The present and potential income-earning abilities of each of the parties, based upon such factors as educational background, training, employment skills, work experience, length of absence from the job market and custodial responsibilities for children;
(5) The distribution of marital property to be made under the terms of a separation agreement or by the court under the provisions of section thirty-two of this article, insofar as the distribution affects or will affect the earnings of the parties and their ability to pay or their need to receive alimony, child support or separate maintenance;
(6) The ages and the physical, mental and emotional condition of each party;
(7) The educational qualifications of each party;
(8) The likelihood that the party seeking alimony, child support or separate maintenance can substantially increase his or her income-earning abilities within a reasonable time by acquiring additional education or training;
(9) The anticipated expense of obtaining the education and training described in subdivision (8) above;
(10) The costs of educating minor children;
(11) The costs of providing health care for each of the parties and their minor children;
(12) The tax consequences to each party;
(13) The extent to which it would be inappropriate for a party, because said party will be the custodian of a minor child or children, to seek employment outside the home;
(14) The financial need and ability to pay of each party;
(15) The legal obligations of each party to support himself or herself and to support any other person; and
(16) Such other factors as the court deems necessary or appropriate to consider in order to arrive at a fair and equitable grant of alimony, child support or separate maintenance.




NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to establish a maximum amount of alimony or separate maintenance that a court may award against a party, expressed in terms of a certain percentage of the payor's income, to amend the definition of income and to specify certain factors or conditions that a court must take into consideration in awarding alimony or separate maintenance.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.