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.
Democratic Representative Kara Hope is a main sponsor of the bills. She also chairs the House Judiciary Committee. Hope says she does not know why it took so long to move this legislation.
“Really, uh, just terrible stuff. You’re really almost a prisoner of your spouse and it’s terrible.”
Hope says the most common child marriages are between a teenaged girl and an older man. The organization Unchained At Last says 54 hundred minors have been married in Michigan since 2001.
