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Senate advances substitute bill tightening rules for marriage of minors, keeps narrow 15‑year exception
Summary
After extended debate, the Utah Senate moved substitute House Bill 48 forward to the third‑reading calendar. The substitute raises the default minimum marriage age to 16 while allowing a narrow exception for 15‑year‑olds only with juvenile court approval, custodial‑parent consent and premarital counseling. (Transcript-based)
The Utah Senate advanced a substitute to House Bill 48 on Feb. 5, 1999, after extended debate over whether the state should permit marriages for people younger than 16. The substitute makes marriages void for anyone under 14 and sets 16 as the normal minimum age; it preserves a narrow exception that would allow 15‑year‑olds to marry only if a juvenile court judge or court commissioner finds the marriage is voluntary and in the minor’s best interest and if custodial parent consent is supplied.
Sponsor Senator Hilliard told colleagues the substitute “makes it clear who can give consent” and adds judicial safeguards including the ability for a judge to…
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