OK SB724

Establishes covenant marriage as an alternative marriage option in Oklahoma for couples who understand marriage as a lifelong commitment and agree to participate in premarital counseling.

Requires couples seeking covenant marriage to execute a declaration of intent containing specific language about the covenant nature of marriage, an affidavit confirming premarital counseling completion, and a notarized affidavit from the counselor confirming the nature and grounds for termination of covenant marriage.

Permits existing married couples domiciled in Oklahoma to designate their marriage as a covenant marriage on or after November 1, 2015 by filing a declaration of intent with the district court clerk.

Restricts divorce from a covenant marriage on grounds of incompatibility to cases where parties complete a minimum of 6 hours of court-ordered counseling within 3 months and wait at least 1 year from counseling completion before obtaining a final divorce decree (may be shortened to 15 months upon good cause shown).

Effective date is November 1, 2015.