A wide-ranging child protection bill awaits Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s decision. It includes a provision that would ban anyone under 18 years old from getting married, even with a parent’s permission. State Rep. Wendy Hausman, R-St. Peters, co-sponsored the bill. She told Missourinet it’s a bit surprising that it took a few years to get the child marriage ban to the governor’s desk.
“You know, if Grandma got married at 16 and she’s been happily married, you know, that seemed like a really good thing,” she said. “But whenever we just started looking at statistics and started seeing…if a child can stand before a judge and say, ‘I don’t want to get married,’ and mom and dad say, ‘Oh yeah, you are.’ And that was legal? I have a problem with that.”
Hausman said someone should be at least 18 years old to sign a legally binding contract, which is what marriage is.
“You know, their grandparents had a happy marriage,” she said. “You know, they got married very young and it’s just not something that I think today happens a lot. And that when that does happen…sometimes (it’s) sex trafficking.”
Other provisions in SB 43:
- Creates “Danny’s Law,” will shield certain individuals from being found guilty of hazing if they took steps to save the victim
- Increases the Champions for Children tax credit reimbursement from 50 to 70%
- Increases the Youth Opportunities and Violence Prevention tax credit reimbursement from 50 to 70%
- Extends the sunset date on the Diaper Bank Tax Credit from December 31st, 2024 to December 31st, 2031
- Creates a fund for installing more newborn baby incubators in Missouri, and extends the age a newborn can be left in an incubator without the parent being prosecuted for abandonment from 45 to 90 days old
- Non-disclosure agreements by any party in child sexual abuse cases are now unenforceable
Kehoe has until July 14th to sign or veto the bill. If he take no action it will automatically become state law.
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