Bill > HB729

This bill aims to end child marriage in Hawaii by raising the minimum age to enter into marriage from sixteen to eighteen years old and eliminating all exceptions that previously allowed minors to marry. The legislation is motivated by growing national and international recognition that child marriage is a human rights violation that disproportionately affects young girls and can result in significant social and economic harm. According to the bill's findings, between 2000 and 2015, over 207,000 children under eighteen were married in the United States, with some as young as twelve, and in Hawaii, approximately 800 children were married since 2000, with 80% being girls marrying adult men. The bill removes the family court's authority to consent to minor marriages, repeals provisions allowing parental consent for marriage, eliminates spousal cohabitation as an exception for marriage annulment, and removes sexual assault exceptions that previously existed if the perpetrator was married to the minor. Additionally, the bill makes corresponding amendments to various sections of Hawaii's legal code to ensure consistency with the new marriage age requirement, effectively bringing Hawaii in line with other states that have recently enacted similar laws to protect minors from early marriage.

Health and Social Services, Justice

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=729&year=2025