OLYMPIA — Washington will soon join 10 states across the country that have laws preventing children under 18 from getting married. House Bill 1455 has now passed both the House and Senate, making it one step closer to becoming state law.
This year, the House unanimously passed the bill the first day of session. Friday, the Senate voted to pass the bill with a vote of 48-1, with Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Spokane, casting a no vote.
The bill was first introduced last year by Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, but stalled in the Senate.
"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," Stonier said.
Since 2000, more than 5,000 minors have been married in Washington state according to data from Unchained At Last, the group lobbying for the bill. Current law allows children to get married at 17 with parental consent; younger than that requires approval from a judge.
Even if a child wanted to get divorced, current loopholes prevent these children from divorcing until they are 18, according to advocates. Additionally, domestic violence shelters may turn away minors.
Kate Yang, who is now 38, told The Seattle Times a law like HB 1455 could have helped her when she was forced to marry at the age of 12. She said she remembers being mentally, sexually and physically abused on a daily basis.
"The abuse got so bad where I knew that either I had to escape, or he was going to kill me," Yang said.
The bill now heads to Gov. Jay Inslee's desk where it will await his signature before it officially becomes state law.
Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report.
