Proposed Laws: Divorce and Television

Two interesting proposed laws dealt with by the Knesset recently:

1. An amendment to the law of the rabbinical courts regarding divorce was just passed. The law until now did not force an actual date by which the husband divorcing would have to give the get. After the court/beis din proceedings in which the divorce would be approved, no final date would be set for the actual giving of the get. It would be up to the divorcing couple to schedule a date, which left open the possibility of one of the sides, usually the husband, being able to cause delays and refuse to actually give the get. The approved amendment to the law says that the get must be given within 45 days of concluding the process in the court. The beis din will have to stay in touch and follow the proceedings and make sure that a date is scheduled and that an actual get is actually given.
   
   Some don't like the new amendment, as there is a side effect. The side effect of the amendment is that sanctions cannot be placed on the recalcitrant husband until after 90 days, while currently the law says sanctions can be placed after 30 days.
   
   Supporters of the law say that the objections are correct, but the law is a result of compromise between different issues and the improvements in the law make up for it and create a better situation.
   (source: Kikar)
   
   
2. There is not much more annoying than the pesky "television tax" in Israel. Every person gets a bill for a television tax. It does not matter if you have a television or not, or if you watch the publicly funded station or not. You get a bill. And if you ignore the bill, eventually they will come after you, whether you have a television or not.
   The one way out of the bill is to fax a letter to the broadcasting authority stating that you do not have a television. And, mind you, you cannot own a television at all. not even one that is not being used.
   
   It's strange that in today's day and age they cannot just see who is receiving their signal and charge those people, if a tax must be charged at all.
   
   
   So, a new law was recently proposed that would say that anybody that has a screen but does not use it for receiving television broadcasts, but connects it to a DVD or internet connection will be exempt from paying the television tax. To get the exemption, the person would still have to send a letter declaring that his screen is not used for television but for other uses. Until now such a person would have to pay the tax anyway, and if the new law is passed this person would be exempt.
   
   This law will benefit people who have screens for closed-circuit security systems, along with people who have television screens used for computers or just to connect to DVD units. The first draft of the law was passed unanimously, and now will go through the finance committee of the Knesset and then through two more readings. (source: Globes)