Committee releases bill to recognize out‑of‑state first‑cousin marriages for Delaware residents

The House Health & Human Development Committee voted to release House Substitute 1 for House Bill 8, which would amend Title 13 of the Delaware Code to recognize marriages between first cousins that were obtained or recognized outside Delaware and where one party is a Delaware resident.

Sponsor Representative Wilson Anton told the committee the bill was prompted by a constituent who was told his marriage to his first cousin made him ineligible to reunify his family while living in Delaware. Anton said the change is intended to prevent residents from having to relocate or "skirt the law" to keep families together.

The sponsor described research showing that about 10 percent of the world's families are headed by couples who are second cousins or closer, and that laws vary across states…