Kentucky legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Kentucky SB156: AN ACT relating to child marriage.
Status: Failed, April 15, 2026
Amend KRS 402.020 to prohibit marriage with a person under 18 years of age; exclude from being prohibited and void, marriages entered into in the Commonwealth before the effective date of this Act and marriages entered into in another state or country; amend KRS 402.080 and 402.210 to prohibit the issuance of marriage licenses to persons under 18 years of age; amend KRS 402.030 to conform; repeal KRS 402.205, relating to petitions to courts filed by minors aged 17 years seeking permission to marry.
What the bill says
An act relating to child marriage.
From the introduced text:
AN ACT relating to child marriage. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Section 1. KRS 402.020 is amended to read as follows: (1) Marriage is prohibited and void: (a) With a person who has been adjudged mentally incompetent[disabled] by a court of competent jurisdiction; (b) Where[ there is a husband or wife living, from whom] the person marrying has not been divorced from a living spouse; (c) When not solemnized or contracted in the presence of an authorized person or society; (d) Between members of the same sex; (e) Between more than two (2) persons; and (f) [Except as provided in KRS 402.210, ]With a person who at the time of marriage is under eighteen (18) years of age. (2) Subsection (1)(f) of this section shall not apply to a lawful marriage entered into in the Commonwealth of Kentucky prior to the effective date of this Act[July 14, 2018], or to a lawful marriage in another state or country prior to the parties' residence in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Section 2. KRS 402.030 is amended to read as follows: (1) Courts having general jurisdiction may declare void any marriage obtained by force or fraud, or, if[provided that] the petition is brought by a party who was under the age of majority as defined by …
Sponsors
- Julie Raque Adams (R, SD-036) · primary sponsor
- Casey Chambers Armstrong (D, SD-019)
- Matthew Deneen (R, SD-010)
- Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R, SD-024)
- Lindsey Tichenor (R, SD-006)
Latest actions
- : recommitted to Appropriations & Revenue (H)
- : floor amendments (3) and (4-title) filed
- : Floor Amendment (2) withdrawn
- : 2nd reading, to Rules
- : floor amendment (2) filed
- : reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
- : floor amendment (1) filed
- : to Families & Children (H)
- : to Committee on Committees (H)
- : received in House
Votes
- Senate: PASS SB 156 RSN# 3876 (March 3, 2026): 36 yea, 0 nay, passed
Subjects: Domestic Relations, Courts, Children And Minors, Parental Rights, Courts, Family, Courts, Circuit, Courts, District, Civil Actions
Common questions
- What is SB156?
- SB156 is a bill in the Kentucky Legislature (2026 Regular Session): AN ACT relating to child marriage.
- What does SB156 do?
- In its own words: An act relating to child marriage.
- What is the status of SB156?
- Failed as of April 15, 2026. Latest action: recommitted to Appropriations & Revenue (H) (April 15, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB156?
- Julie Raque Adams (R, SD-036), with 4 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for SB156?
- On the Kentucky Legislature website: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/sb156.html
Source: official Kentucky record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.