Bills to outlaw child marriage were adopted Wednesday by a state House committee.
The bills would establish 18 years old as the minimum age to get married in Michigan. Children younger than 18 could not get a marriage license, even with a parent’s consent.
“A lot of people are surprised to find out that’s still a practice that takes place in Michigan,” Democratic Representative Kara Hope (D-Holt) said. “It sounds like something from days of old, but it still takes place.”
Hope chairs the House Judiciary Committee, which sent the bill to the House floor.
Bills to bar people younger than 18 years old from qualifying for a marriage license have stalled in prior legislative sessions. These bills cleared the House Judiciary Committee on unanimous votes with no discussion or debate.
Hope says she does not know why it took so long to move this legislation.
“Really, just terrible stuff. You’re really almost a prisoner of your spouse, and it’s terrible,” she said.
Hope said the most common child marriages are between teenaged girls and older men. The organization Unchained At Last says about 5,400 minors have been married in Michigan since 2001.