A Colorado state bill that would have required parents to complete counseling classes before filing for divorce has been canceled after the senator that proposed the measure realized that the bill would "take much more time and deliberation than the upcoming session will allow." The Republican senator explained that the he has never received more feedback from constituents in his 10 years in office than on the proposed divorce bill.

He initially planned to introduce the bill to address what he sees as a crucial problem in the way divorces function. He was quoted in a Colorado newspaper as saying, "We have made it just too easy to bail out of a marriage." Soon after the remark, citizens, legislators and attorneys across the country questioned the supposed need for the bill.

If passed, the measure would have required parents to undergo six hours of classes on how their divorce might affect their children. Unless sexual abuse or other similar issues are a factor, couples with underage children would also be required to wait for approximately eight months before proceeding with the divorce.

After receiving a large amount of feedback, the senator retracted the proposal. He issued a letter in which he wrote, "I fully acknowledge that those who do not consider the concepts in this bill to be within the legitimate scope of government can provide an effective argument." However, he explained that he would continue to search for to solve what he called the "significant problems associated with divorce."

Source: CBS Denver, "Lawmaker Pulls Bill To Delay Divorce," Jan. 6, 2012

Source: FOX 21, "'Cooling off' period proposed for divorces," Kelly Werthmann, Jan. 4, 2012