OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington state House unanimously passed a bill eliminating child marriage in the state on the first day of the 2024 legislative session.
House Bill 1455 prohibits courts or individuals from acting on behalf of those under the age of 18 from consenting to marriage.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, passed the House with 95 yeas with three excused. The bill will now head to the Senate.
"We believe there are some elements of life that a child is not capable of entry into or deciding about on his or her own and we believe that this issue of marriage is one of those things, " said Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen. "What this bill does is, it acknowledges that minor children cannot consent to all of life's choices."
The bill stalled in the Senate during last year’s session, failing to get voted out of the Senate Law and Justice Committee.
Washington state is just one of five states that don’t specify an age limit for marriage. The other four states are California, Mississippi, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
According to Unchained At Last, a non-profit organization, 4,831 minors were married in Washington state between 2000 and 2018.
The 2024 Washington State Legislative session kicked off Monday and lawmakers have a long list of items they hope to tackle, including fighting climate change, firearm purchasing and safety, education and more.
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