• Program created by state Legislature, using $16 million in federal funds, to promote healthy marriages and reduce frequency of divorce.

• Main component: free, eight-hour marriage education classes focusing on communication skills, conflict resolution and the value of marriage.

• As of Sept. 1, couples who go through such a class will not have to pay the $60 state portion of their marriage license fee. (They still pay the smaller county portion, which varies by county.)

• Couples who go through a faith-based course approved by program officials also get the $60 price break.

SOURCE: Texas Health and Human Services Commission