New Hampshire

Why New Hampshire Is Raising Legal Age Of Marriage

Published

2 years ago

May 5, 2024

Why New Hampshire Is Raising Legal Age Of Marriage

Addressing concerns about underage marriage in the state, the New Hampshire House has approved a bill to raise the legal age of marriage in the state from 16 to 18. Known as Senate Bill 359, the legislation awaits Governor Chris Sununu’s signature to become law.

The bill states that “no person below the age of 18 years shall be capable of contracting a valid marriage, and all marriages contracted by such persons shall be null and void.”.

The legislation was presented during the 2024 Regular Session and received unanimous approval from the Senate in March. Subsequently, on May 2, it secured passage in the House with a vote of 192-174.

“The bill aims to protect children from potential exploitation,” said Representative Cassandra Levesque, a Barrington Democrat, who has been a staunch advocate for this change.

She argued that raising the age would help reduce exploitative situations, emphasizing, “age of majority does not amount to maturity, and there is a greater risk of human trafficking and domestic violence without these protections.”

The bill also seeks to revoke existing statutes that offer legal pathways for minors to marry. The current law in New Hampshire permits parents and guardians of individuals aged 16 to 18 to petition a family court for marriage consent. Senate Bill 359 aims to entirely eliminate this procedure.

The bill was sponsored by Senator Altschiller from District 24, Senator Watters from District 4, Senator D’Allesandro from District 20, Representative Long from Hillsborough District 23, Representative Grossman from Rockingham District 11, Representative O’Neil from Rockingham District 29, Representative Levesque from Strafford District 4 and Representative Petrigno from Hillsborough District 431.

Should it be enacted, this legislation would come into force on January 1, 2025, positioning New Hampshire alongside 12 other US states that have prohibited marriage under the age of 18 without any exceptions.

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New Hampshire

Donna Soucy: The road to 2028 runs through New Hampshire

Published

11 hours ago

March 7, 2026

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Donna Soucy: The road to 2028 runs through New Hampshire

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New Hampshire

School health insurance rates are increasing across New Hampshire. There’s more at play than just GLP-1 weight loss drugs

Published

23 hours ago

March 6, 2026

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School health insurance rates are increasing across New Hampshire. There’s more at play than just GLP-1 weight loss drugs

Duane Ford has managed budgets for the Bow and Dunbarton school districts for more than a decade, but nothing quite prepared him for this year’s health insurance bill: a 16% jump in premiums, the steepest increase he’s ever seen. “It’s a part of the budget that we don’t have any control over,” he said. The […]

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New Hampshire

NH National Guard activated in connection with Iran war

Published

1 day ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

NH National Guard activated in connection with Iran war

The federal government has activated the New Hampshire National Guard’s 157th Air Refueling Wing in connection with the war with Iran.

“I’ve had a briefing myself, a classified briefing, but it’s really important on the messaging on this that we really coordinate with the Pentagon,” Gov. Kelly Ayotte told reporters during a press briefing following Wednesday’s Executive Council meeting.

Ayotte said she was unable to share additional details about the nature of the New Hampshire National Guard’s activity related to the conflict, including how many guard members have been activated or what role they are playing.

“We’re going to respect what messaging comes out of the Pentagon just to make sure that our men and women in uniform are fully protected and that we aren’t providing any information that could be used in a way that would be harmful to them,” Ayotte said.

In a statement Thursday, Ayotte said the unit had been deployed in late February to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of the operation.

Pease Air National Guard KC-46 Pegasus air refueling aircraft in June 2023.

Earlier this week, Pentagon officials confirmed that members of the Vermont National Guard were involved in attacks against Iran over the weekend, though our news partners at Vermont Public were not able to confirm additional details on the nature of the operation.

During the briefing with local reporters, Ayotte also stressed her support for servicemembers and those close to them.

“I have such respect for our men and women in uniform,” Ayotte said. “As you know, I come from a military family, and they have our full support, and we appreciate them and their families, and obviously anyone who is serving right now, and my thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost someone that they love.”

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