An Act to amend part II of the District of Columbia Code relating to divorce, legal separation, and annulment of marriage in the District of Columbia
PL 89-217 (H.R.948), enacted 09/29/1965

79 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 89-217-SEPT. 29, 1965 
889 
Public Law 89-217 
A N A C T 
September 29, 1965 
To amend part II of the District of Columbia Code relating to divorce, legal 
[H. R. 948] 
separation, and annulment of marriage in the District of Columbia. 
Be it enacted, hy the Senate and House of Representat't/ves of the 
United States of America in Congress assemMed^ That section 16-902 
of the District of Columbia Code is amended to read as follows: 
"§ 16-902. Residence requirements 
•'No action for divorce shall be maintainable unless one of the parties 
to the marriage has been a bona fide resident of the District of Colum-
bia for at least one year next preceding the commencement of the 
action. 
No action for annulment of a marriage performed outside 
tlie District of Columbia shall be maintainable unless one of the parties 
is a bona fide resident of the District of Columbia at the time of the 
commencement of the action. 
No action for the affirmance of any 
marriage shall be maintainable unless one of the parties is a bona fide 
resident of the District of Columbia at the time of the commencement 
of the action. 
The residence of the parties to an action for annulment 
of a marriage performed in the District of Columbia shall not be con-
sidered in determining whether such action shall be maintainable." 
SEC. 2. Section 16-904 of the District of Columbia Code is amended 
to read as follows: 
"§ 16-904. Grounds for divorce, legal separation and annulment 
"(a) A divorce from the bond of marriage or a legal separation 
from bed and board may be granted for adultery, actual or construc-
tive desertion for one year, voluntary separation from bed and board 
for one year without cohabitation, or final conviction of a felony and 
sentence for not less than two years to a penal institution which is 
served in whole or in part. 
A legal separation from bed and board 
also may be granted for cruelty. 
"(b) A judgment of legal separation from bed and board may be 
enlarged into a judgment of divorce from the bond of marriage upon 
application of the innocent party, a copy of wiiich shall be duly served 
upon the adverse party, after the separation of the parties has been 
continuous for one year next before the making of the application. 
"(c) Marriage contracts may be declared void in the following 
cases: 
"First. Where such marriage was contracted while either of the 
parties thereto had a former wife or husband living, unless the former 
marriage had been lawfully dissolved. 
"Second. Where such marriage was contracted during the lunacy of 
either party (unless there Jias been voluntary cohabitation after the 
discovery of the lunacy). 
"Third. Where such marriage was procured by fraud or coercion. 
"Fourth. Where either party was matrimonially incapacitated at 
the time of marriage and has continued so. 
"Fifth. Where either of the parties had not arrived at the age of 
legal consent to the contract of marriage (unless there has been volun-
tary cohabitation after coming to legal age), but in such cases only at 
the suit of the party not capable of consenting."' 
SEC. 3. Section 16-916 of the District of Columbia Code is amended 
to read as follows: 
'*§ 16-916. Maintenance of wife and minor children; maintenance 
of former wife; enforcement 
" (a) Whenever any husband shall fail or refuse to maintain his wife, 
minor children, or both, although able to do so, or whenever any father 
District of 
Columbia Code. 
Divorce, legal 
separation, and 
annulment, 
77 Stat. 560. 
49-850 0-66—59 
890 
PUBLIC LAW 89-218-SEPT. 29, 1965 
[79 STAT. 
shall fail or refuse to maintain liis children by a marriage since dis-
solved, although able to do so, the court, upon proper application, may 
decree, pendente lite and permanently, that he shall pay reasonable 
sums periodically for the support of such wife and children, or such 
children, as the case may be, and the court may decree that he pay 
suit money, including counsel fees, pendente lite and permanently, to 
enable plaintiff to conduct the case. 
"(b) Whenever a former husband has obtained a foreign ex parte 
divorce, the court thereafter, on application of the former wife and 
with personal service of process upon the former husband in the Dis-
trict of Columbia, may decree that he shall pay her reasonable sums 
periodically for her maintenance and for suit money, including coun-
sel fees, pendente lite and permanently, to enable plaintiff to conduct 
the case. 
"(c) The Court may enforce any decree entered under this section 
in the same manner as is provided in section 16-911 of the District 
of Columbia Code." 
77 Stat. 563. 
g^c. 4. Sectiou 16-920 of the District of Columbia Code is amended 
to read as follows: 
"§16-920. Effective date of decree for annulment or absolute 
divorce 
"A decree, annulling or dissolving a marriage, or granting an abso-
lute divorce, shall not become effective until the time for noting an 
appeal shall have expired, and, if notice of appeal has been entered, 
such decree shall not become effective until the date of the final dis-
I)osition of the appeal." 
Approved September 29, 1965. 
Public Law 89-218 
September 29, 1965 
A N 
A C T 
^ ' ' 
•
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To authorize Secret Service agents to make arrests without warrant for offenses 
committed in their presence, and for other purposes. 
U.S. Secret 
Service. 
Power exten-
sion. 
65 Stat. 122. 
Be it eimcted hy the Semite and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That title 18, United 
States Code, section 3056, is amended as follows— 
(1) By inserting the following sentence immediately preceding the 
last sentence thereof: "In the performance of their duties under this 
section, the Chief, Deputy Chief, Assistant Chief, inspectors, and 
agents of the Secret Service are authorized to make arrests without 
warrant for any offense against the United States committed in their 
presence, or for any felony cognizable under the laws of the United 
States if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the person to 
be arrested has committed or is committing such felony."; and 
(2) By striking out "508 and 509" and inserting in lieu thereof 
"608, 509, and 871". 
Approved September 29, 1965.