The Plural Marriage Project
Illustrative draft · not enacted law

The model bill

This is what the framework looks like as statute. It is model language for discussion, written to be adopted by a single pioneering state. It turns the seven instruments into the kind of plain legislative text a legislature could actually mark up.

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The following is a model bill, an educational drafting exercise. It is not law anywhere, has not been introduced in any legislature, and is not legal advice. It exists to show that the framework can be written in ordinary statutory language. A real bill would require professional legislative drafting, fiscal analysis, and review by family-law counsel.

The Plural Marriage Recognition Act

A Model Act · For discussion only · The Plural Marriage Project

Section 1. Short title and purpose

This Act may be cited as the Plural Marriage Recognition Act. Its purpose is to extend lawful civil marriage to households of three or more consenting adults, to define their rights and obligations, and to protect every spouse equally.

Section 2. Definitions

(a) Plural marriage means a lawful civil marriage among three or more adults, each of whom has consented under this Act.

(b) Spouse means any adult party to a plural marriage, with equal legal standing unless a recorded contract provides otherwise.

(c) Multi-Spouse Marriage Contract (MSMC) means the standardized instrument required by Section 3.

Section 3. Formation; the Multi-Spouse Marriage Contract

(a) A plural marriage is formed by filing a completed MSMC with the county clerk, signed by every existing and entering spouse.

(b) The MSMC shall state each spouse's rights, financial responsibilities, any agreed order of priority, and the terms governing a spouse's entry and exit.

(c) Adding a spouse to an existing marriage requires the documented, written consent of every current spouse.

Section 4. Consent and safeguards

(a) Every party must be at least eighteen years of age, of demonstrated legal capacity, and free of coercion.

(b) Before formation, all parties shall complete (i) a background check, (ii) independent legal counseling, and (iii) an attested declaration of voluntary consent.

(c) Coercion, fraud, or the inclusion of a minor voids the marriage and carries the penalties otherwise provided by law.

Section 5. Taxation

A plural marriage is recognized as a Multi-Spouse Household for state tax purposes. Spousal income is pooled, deductions are allocated proportionally, and dependents attach to the household. The Department of Revenue shall publish the corresponding filing forms.

Section 6. Inheritance

(a) Absent a valid will, surviving spouses share the spousal portion of the estate equally, and children share the remainder as otherwise provided by law.

(b) Any spouse may alter this default by will, trust, or the MSMC.

Section 7. Medical decision-making

Spouses hold co-equal authority to make medical decisions for an incapacitated spouse, unless the MSMC or an advance directive designates a Medical Priority Order. Health facilities shall honor the recorded order.

Section 8. Dissolution

(a) Any spouse may petition to exit the marriage without dissolving it as to the remaining spouses.

(b) Property is divided according to contribution and the MSMC; custody and support are determined per parent under existing family law.

(c) The marriage dissolves entirely only when fewer than two spouses remain or all parties so petition.

Section 9. Insurance and benefits

Insurers offering coverage in this state may issue multi-spouse riders for health, life, and beneficiary designation, and may price them actuarially. No insurer shall deny a household coverage solely because it is a plural marriage.

Section 10. Equality of spouses

This Act is gender-neutral. It applies equally to marriages of any spousal-gender composition, including marriages of one woman with multiple husbands, and guarantees each spouse equal rights of exit, property, custody, and protection.

Section 11. Severability

If any provision of this Act is held invalid, the remaining provisions remain in effect.

Section 12. Effective date

This Act takes effect on the first day of the calendar year following enactment, allowing agencies time to publish forms and rules.

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