BOSTON -- What makes a good marriage? Experts say it is when both parties listen to each other, build on the values they share and compromise on their differences. Sounds like a good way to make legislation as well.

And that's the back story to a proposed reform that seeks to change how Massachusetts deals with bad marriages. In many states, alimony is considered transitional, with limits put on its duration. But under current Massachusetts law, alimony is awarded for life.

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The result: legal battles that last decades after the divorce, personal bankruptcies, delayed retirements and remarriages.

The Alimony Reform Act of 2011 brings needed changes: term limits on alimony, exclusion of second spouses' assets in determining payments and greater discretion for judges in crafting agreements. Two groups who have often been at odds on these issues - Massachusetts' Alimony Reform and the Massachusetts Women's Bar Association - endorse the bill. So does the Massachusetts Bar Association. When it comes to approving this common sense reform, we encourage all state legislators to follow their lead and say "I do."