Sec. 1. 19-A MRSA §951-A, sub-§2, ķA, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 634, §3, is amended to read:

A. General support may be awarded to provide financial assistance to a spouse with substantially less income potential than the other spouse so that both spouses can maintain a reasonable standard of living after the divorce.

(1) There is a rebuttable presumption that general support may not be awarded if the parties were married for less than 10 years as of the date of the filing of the action for divorce. There is also a rebuttable presumption that general General support may not be awarded for a term exceeding 1/2 the length of the marriage if the parties were married for at least 10 years but not more than 20 40 years as of the date of the filing of the action for divorce. General support may not be awarded for a term exceeding 20 years if the parties were married for more than 40 years.

(2) If the court finds that a spousal support award based upon a presumption established by this paragraph would be inequitable or unjust, that finding is sufficient to rebut the applicable presumption.

SUMMARY

This bill limits the payment of spousal support to a term not to exceed 1/2 the length of a marriage for parties who have been married up to 40 years and limits the payment of spousal support to 20 years for parties who have been married for more than 40 years.