A breath of fresh air: alimony limits proposed in MA

Massachusetts has introduced legislation to limit the duration of alimony payments, ending lifetime alimony. The bill would also close a loophole by ending alimony when the ex cohabitates with someone new for 3 months or more. Typically alimony ends only when the recipient remarries, so the moneygrubber spousal support recipient doesn’t remarry, even after she's found a new sucker significant other to support her. Here are the duration limits proposed by the bill:

• For marriages lasting longer than 20 years, alimony would end at age 66, the federal retirement age for Social Security
• For marriages of 5 years or less, alimony would not last any longer than half of the total months of the marriage
• For marriages of less than 10 years, no more than 60 percent of the duration of the marriage
• For marriages of less than 15 years, no more than 70 percent of the duration of the marriage
• For less than 20 years, no more than 80 percent of the duration of the marriage

And here is a profile of the man behind the revolution. This is not nearly enough, but it’s a start. We can only hope more states make similar moves. And of course, this begs the question: why do we need alimony at all?