# House panel backs bill closing Kentucky's child marriage loophole  
**Published:** 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z  
**Source:** [KY Legislative Research Commission](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#SB156-032626)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/house-panel-backs-bill-closing-kentucky-s-child-marriage-loophole

LEXINGTON, Ky. — [Legislation aimed at eliminating child marriage in Kentucky advanced Thursday from the House Families and Children Committee](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#SB156-032626), setting the stage for a full House floor vote on sweeping changes to state marriage laws.

[Senate Bill 156 would raise the legal age for marriage to 18 without exception](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#SB156-032626), closing a provision in current law that allows 17-year-olds to marry with judicial consent. Supporters say the change would strengthen protections for minors and prevent situations involving coercion, abuse or exploitation.

The bill passed the committee on a 13-0 vote after emotional testimony from [Donna Simmons, a survivor of child marriage](https://www.lpm.org/news/2026-03-26/kentucky-house-advances-bill-to-end-all-child-marriage) who described how she was placed in an abusive situation beginning at age 14 and married at 16 in Tennessee with parental consent. Simmons, who founded the Revive Collective, told lawmakers the relationship resulted in a miscarriage, exploitation and long-term legal challenges after she left, including losing custody of her child.

The bill builds on efforts by [Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#SB156-032626), who sponsored a landmark 2018 law that raised Kentucky's minimum marriage age. That law, however, contained a judicial exception for 17-year-olds that [research revealed has been inconsistently applied and exploited](https://www.lpm.org/news/2026-02-27/kentucky-banned-child-marriages-in-2018-heres-why-they-are-still-happening). According to the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics, [at least 16 illegal child marriages have taken place since the 2018 law took effect](https://www.lpm.org/news/2026-02-27/kentucky-banned-child-marriages-in-2018-heres-why-they-are-still-happening).

Adams emphasized that simplifying the rules is necessary to prevent cases from slipping through the cracks. "What we did back in 2018, we thought that we had sufficiently covered it with that caveat that if you are 17, you can get married if you go before a court and you meet certain parameters," she said. "Unfortunately, what we have found is that Kentucky is not doing those things, which is why we're having to close that 17-year-old loophole."

[Kentucky was a nationwide leader when it banned most child marriages in 2018, but only 16 states and Washington, D.C., have since set 18 as the minimum marriage age without exceptions](https://www.lpm.org/news/2026-03-26/kentucky-house-advances-bill-to-end-all-child-marriage). The bill's advocates pointed to growing national momentum, noting that [states with more permissive laws risk becoming destinations for minors from neighboring states](https://www.lpm.org/news/2026-03-26/kentucky-house-advances-bill-to-end-all-child-marriage).

The committee expressed bipartisan support, though Rep. Michael Sarge Pollock, R-Campbellsville, noted his own parents married as minors. He said couples who truly want to marry can wait until adulthood. The bill now heads to the House floor for a vote.

## Sources

- [KY Legislative Research Commission](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#SB156-032626)
- [Kentucky Public Media - Kentucky House advances bill to end all child marriage](https://www.lpm.org/news/2026-03-26/kentucky-house-advances-bill-to-end-all-child-marriage)
- [Kentucky Public Media - Kentucky banned child marriages in 2018. Here's why they are still happening](https://www.lpm.org/news/2026-02-27/kentucky-banned-child-marriages-in-2018-heres-why-they-are-still-happening)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from KY Legislative Research Commission, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#SB156-032626.