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.