Current:Home > MyBill to set minimum marriage age to 18 in Washington state heads to governor -WealthMindset Learning
Bill to set minimum marriage age to 18 in Washington state heads to governor
View
Date:2025-04-13 15:45:36
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A law to establish 18 as the minimum marriage age in Washington state is headed to the governor’s desk for his signature.
State lawmakers in the House and Senate passed House Bill 1455 this session after the measure stalled in the Senate last year and other bills failed to gain traction in previous years.
This year, the House passed it unanimously on the first day of session. On Friday, the Senate voted to pass the bill with a vote of 48-1. Republican Sen. Jeff Holy, of Spokane, cast the lone no vote.
Supporters of such legislation say it reduces domestic violence and unwanted pregnancies, as well as improves the lives of teens.
“I just think we’ve got to stop the generational trauma from people being forced into lifestyles or marriages that they’re not equipped to take up,” Democrat Rep. Monica Stonier, of Vancouver, who introduced the measure, told The Seattle Times.
Marriage for people younger than 18 was legal in all 50 U.S. states as of 2017, according to the nonprofit organization Unchained At Last. Nearly 300,000 children as young as 10 were married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018. Mostly, girls were wed to adult men, the organization said.
In Washington state, 5,048 people younger than age 18 were married between 2000 and 2021, according to the organization. Parents are forcing their children to marry in the majority of instances, according to Unchained At Last.
Currently, 17-year-olds in Washington state can marry with parental consent, and those younger than 17 need approval from a judge.
Oregon’s minimum marriage age is 17 while in Idaho the minimum age is 16, according to the organization.
If Gov. Jay Inslee signs the bill, which is expected, it would take effect in June. Ten other states have prohibited marriages for those under 18, including Minnesota and New York.
veryGood! (145)
Related
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- Robert Brustein, theater critic and pioneer who founded stage programs for Yale and Harvard, dies
- Derrick Henry trade landing spots: Ravens, Browns among top options if Titans move RB
- Barack Obama on restoring the memory of American hero Bayard Rustin
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Bangladesh’s ruling party holds rally to denounce ‘violent opposition protests’ ahead of elections
- Bryce Harper made a commitment. His 'remarkable' bond with Philadelphia can't be broken.
- Matthew Perry's Friends community reacts to his death at 54
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Takeaways from AP’s reporting on Chinese migrants who traverse the Darién Gap to reach the US
Ranking
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki writes about her years in government in ‘Say More’
- Takeaways from AP’s reporting on Chinese migrants who traverse the Darién Gap to reach the US
- GM, UAW reach tentative deal to end labor strike after weeks of contract negotiations
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Trump gag order back in effect in federal election interference case
- More than 1,000 pay tribute to Maine’s mass shooting victims on day of prayer, reflection and hope
- Cornell University sends officers to Jewish center after violent, antisemitic messages posted online
Recommendation
Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
Gun deaths are rising in Wisconsin. We take a look at why.
These US cities will experience frigid temperatures this week
Mega Millions winning numbers for Oct. 27: See if you won the $137 million jackpot
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
How does 'Billions' end? Axe falls on a rival. Your guide to the dramatic series finale
These US cities will experience frigid temperatures this week
Flu game coming? Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes will play against Broncos with illness