December 15, 1977
Page 39345
THE FULL MARRIAGE ACT OF 19'7'7
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, Herbert Stein presented us a holiday treat which should not be overlooked in an eagerness to complete our work for 1977. I ask unanimous consent that his article in the December 6, 1977, edition of the Wall Street Journal be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
THE FULL MARRIAGE ACT OF 1977
(By Herbert Stein)
A bill to translate into reality the right of all Americans able, willing and seeking to be married to full opportunity for a meaningful, non-deadend relationship; to assert the responsibility of the federal government to use all practicable programs and policies to promote meaningful relationships, and to clean up the American economic, social and political system in other respects.
This act may be cited as the "Full Marriage and Political Balancing Act of 1977."
GENERAL FINDINGS
Sec. 2 (a) The Congress finds that 7 percent of the persons in the United States over the age of 16 able, willing and seeking to be married are not married, and that the unmarriage rate is much higher for persons between the ages of 16 and 21. This high unmarriage rate imposes serious costs upon the nation, including the following:
(1) Many of the unmarried and all of their mothers suffer severe mental anguish;
(2) Some of the married suffer envy;
(3) Unmarriage contributes to unemployment, since unemployment rates are significantly higher among unmarried males than among married males of the same age;
(4) Unmarriage contributes to inflation, since two can live as easily as one;
(5) Unmarriage contributes to the balance of trade deficit, since unmarried persons have a high propensity to buy small foreign cars, drink foreign wine and attend foreign movies.
(b) The Congress further finds that the operation of the free market assisted only by aggregate fiscal and monetary policies is not adequate to reduce unmarriage. The rate of unmarriage has risen as the money supply and the federal deficit have risen.
(c) The Congress further finds that achievement of full marriage requires the establishment of goals by the President and the coordinated use of the powers of all agencies of the federal government, along with such private action as may from time to time be found helpful by the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare.
TITLE I — GOALS AND GENERAL POLICIES
Sec. 101. (a) The Congress declares and establishes as a national goal the fulfillment of the right of all Americans able, willing and seeking to be married to full opportunities for a meaningful relationship.
(b) The Congress further declares that no provision of this act shall be used to exercise mandatory control over any private citizen except as may be necessary to extract taxes from such citizen to achieve the purposes of this act or as it may be necessary to use powers of the federal government previously authorized or hereafter authorized to achieve the purposes of the act.
Sec. 102. (a) The Congress declares and establishes as an interim goal the reduction of the unmarriage rate for Americans over the age of 16 to no more than 4 percent and for Americans over the age of 20 to no more than 3 percent both goals to be achieved by 1983.
(b) For the purposes of this act the terms marriage and unmarriage are defined to mean marriage and unmarriage as defined by the President of the United States.
Sec. 103. The Congress declares and establishes as a goal the equalization of unmarriage rates among the age, sex, and race categories of the population.
Sec. 104. The Congress declares that it doesn't have the foggiest idea of how to achieve the purposes of this act. Therefore, the President shall submit, within 90 days of its enactment and annually thereafter, the Annual Marriage Report of the President, setting forth:
(a) Current and foreseeable trends in births, deaths, marriages, divorces, engagements and disengagements, with an analysis of recent developments;
(b) Annual numerical goals for these variables and others affecting progress towards the interim goal stated in Section 102 (a);
(c) The specific programs and policies which the President deems necessary to achieve the goals.
Sec. 105. The President shall be assisted in the preparation of the Annual Marriage Report by a Council of Marriage Counselors consisting of three members, one of whom the President shall designate as chairman. The three members shall be chosen to represent equally the division of the American population by age, sex, race, religion, marital status, educational attainment and geographic location.
TITLE II — STRUCTURAL REMEDIES FOR UNMARRIAGE
Sec. 201. The Congress declares that in fishing around for ways to reduce unmarriage no stone shall be left unturned.
Sec. 202. Within 180 days after enactment of this act, the President shall submit to the Congress a report evaluating the effects on the unmarriage rate of present legal restrictions on polygamy, with such recommendations as he or she considers appropriate.
Sec. 203. Within one year after the enactment of this act the President shall submit to the Congress a cost benefit analysis of divorce by unilateral demand, including an estimate of the extent to which the resulting increase of marriages would exceed or fall short of the resulting increase in divorces, with such recommendations as he or she considers appropriate.
Sec. 204. Individuals or classes of individuals who consider their marriage opportunities to have been injured by the marriage of American citizens with foreigners may file a claim for relief with the International Trade Commission. If, after a hearing, the International Trade Commission finds that injury has been suffered, it shall submit a report with recommendations for corrective action to the President. Corrective action may consist of:
(a) Limitation of the entry of foreigners into the United States for the purpose of marriage;
(b) Limitation on the departure of Americans from the United States for the purpose of marriage; and/or
(c) Adjustment assistance in the form of a three week, expense-paid trip for the injured party or parties to the foreign country of their choice.
(d) If the President chooses not to follow the recommendation of the International Trade Commission he shall submit a report to the Congress with an explanation of his decision.
TITLE III — SPOUSES OF LAST RESORT
Sec. 301. It is the purpose of this act to promote marriages in the following order of priority :
(a) Marriages made in heaven,
(b) Marriages arranged spontaneously and directly by the participants,
(c) Marriages arranged through the personals column of New York magazine, and
(d) Marriages arranged by mothers.
Sec. 302. Only if he or she finds that promotion of marriages of the kinds listed in Sec. 301 is inadequate to achieve the purpose of this act shall the President recommend to the Congress legislation authorizing the establishment of a reservoir of spouses of last resort. This proposed legislation shall include the following provisions:
(a) The reservoir shall include not less than 100,000 nor more than 200,000 eligible spouses of last resort. These eligible spouses of last resort shall be fulltime employes of the federal government engaged for this purpose in accordance with Civil Service regulations and qualifying for compensation at the rate of a GS-9.
(b) Any unmarried American citizen over the age of 16 shall have the right to claim a spouse from the reservoir, subject to the limitation in Sec. 302(c). The Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare shall establish regulations to provide appropriate eligibility criteria to determine the order of priority of access of any person to the reservoir.
(c) No person who has rejected a bona fide offer of suitable marriage of the kinds listed in Section 301 shall have the right to claim a spouse from the reservoir within a period of 6 months following that rejection.
(d) Eligible spouses of last resort who have been claimed and married shall be removed from the reservoir but shall be promoted to grade GS-10 and remain employed at that grade for as long as the marriage arranged under this Title shall last.
(e) As the number of eligible spouses of last resort in the reservoir is depleted by marriage, resignation or death the reservoir shall be restored to its initial size by the recruiting of new employees.
TITLE IV — SEPARABILITY
Sec. 401. Whom Congress has put together, let no man put asunder.
Sec. 402. Amen.