Senators debate removing 90-day waiting period for divorce as floor amendment wins committee backing

A floor amendment to remove the statutory 90-day waiting period before a divorce becomes final drew sustained debate on the Senate floor.

Senator Hilliard argued the 90-day period historically encouraged reconsideration and reconciliation, describing cases where he saw couples reconcile after a period of separation. "I've had somebody rush in my office and say, 'I've gotta have a divorce' ... and several years later say that's the dumbest thing I ever did," he said, urging retention of the waiting period as a public-policy signal about the sanctity of marriage.

Senator Weiler, who served on a task force addressing the rule, said the waiting period often punishes couples who have already agreed on terms and lacks demonstrated benefit. "This committee... unanimously agreed that this is a failed experiment and that it should go away," Weiler said, noting that judges, court personnel, and attorneys contributed to the interim study recommending repeal.

Senator Escamilla also opposed keeping the 90-day requirement, calling it an arbitrary intrusion into adults’ decisions and pointing to marriage-education initiatives as a less coercive policy response.

The amendment generated a procedural call for the question and a recorded floor vote; the transcript records sustained debate and several senators' positions, while the final roll-call tallies on the amendment and subsequent bill action are presented in the official record but are not fully legible in the provided excerpt.