New Jersey law requires $25 of $28 for a marriage license to go to battered women’s shelters

Contributor: Men's Activism News [source]Date:July 3, 2009

From Jeremy S.:

GOOD GOD! How blatant is THAT? What an outrage! I was just going to ask for proof of this: "$25.00 goes to battered women's trust funds". I am stunned and outraged. I can only imagine what monies are transferred and to where in my own country. Everything is possible now. (Seriously this is not a joke.) I stand in disbelief and in renewed earnest solidarity with our American brothers. I need say no more. Let this tell the story.

37:1-12.1. Additional fee: '1. In addition to the fee for issuing a marriage license authorized pursuant to R.S.37:1-12, each licensing officer shall collect a fee of $25 from the applicants which shall be forwarded on a quarterly basis to the Department of Human Services.'

37:1-12.2. Trust fund to aid victims of domestic violence: '2. The Department of Human Services shall establish a trust fund for the deposit of the fees received pursuant to section 1 of this act. The moneys from the trust fund shall be used for the specific purpose of establishing and maintaining shelters for the victims of domestic violence, or a. for providing grants-in-aid to such shelters established by local governments or private nonprofit organizations;...'

Ed. comments: Of course the implication created by attaching a DV shelter-funding provision to a fee collected for marriage licenses speaks volumes of the prejudices underlying the conception of the regulation:
that marriage leads to domestic violence so it is marriage that is to be taxed (at the relative rate of 830% as compared to the license fee without the surcharge: 25/3 = 8.33, or 830%). (P. ?? Is this modern maths? )

However research shows that such is not the case; DV can and does occur between unmarried and cohabiting and non-cohabiting people all the time. Yet it is marriage license fees are the things that get attached for this funding.