Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2473

Introduced
1/20/26  

Caption

Requiring all persons to be 18 years of age to be eligible to give consent for marriage and eliminating exceptions to such requirement.

Impact

The enactment of HB 2473 would closely align the state's marriage laws with various national trends promoting the legal rights of minors. By raising the minimum age for marriage to 18 without exceptions, this bill seeks to protect young individuals from potential coercion and exploitation in marriage situations. It is expected that such a change would not only affect individual marriages but would also guide local governments in enforcing marriage laws consistently across the state. This uniformity could lead to a decrease in underage marriages, promoting better outcomes for youth involved.

Summary

House Bill 2473 proposes a significant change to the legal requirements surrounding marriage consent by establishing that all individuals must be at least 18 years of age to give consent for marriage. This legislation aims to eliminate any existing exceptions that allow individuals younger than 18 to marry with parental consent or other special circumstances. The primary focus of this bill is to standardize the age of consent for marriage in the state, enhancing protections for minors against early marriage and promoting their rights.

Conclusion

Overall, HB 2473 represents an effort to clarify and strengthen the state's position on marriage consent laws, ensuring that all individuals are legally deemed capable of understanding the implications of entering into a marriage contract. By addressing these issues, the bill acknowledges the evolving perceptions of consent and maturity within societal contexts.

Contention

Some points of contention related to HB 2473 may arise from differing opinions on parental rights and the autonomy of individuals under 18. Advocates for the bill argue that raising the marriage age to the legal adulthood threshold is a necessary protective measure. However, opponents may contend that such a law undermines parental authority and disregards cultural or religious practices that allow marriages at younger ages. There may also be discussions on whether eliminating exceptions could negatively impact individuals who might be in stable relationships but are still under the age of 18.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS SB4

Requiring all advance voting ballots be returned by 7:00 p.m. on election day.

KS HB2003

Establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, modifying the definition of household income and increasing the appraised value threshold for eligibility of seniors and disabled veterans related to increased property tax claims and citing the section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, providing property tax exemptions for certain personal property including watercraft, marine equipment, off-road vehicles, motorized bicycles and certain trailers, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value, providing for certain exclusions from the prohibition of paying taxes under protest after a valuation notice appeal and providing four prior years' values on the annual valuation notice.

KS HB2002

Expanding medical assistance eligibility and enacting the cutting healthcare costs for all Kansans act.

KS SB2

Eliminating the income limit to qualify for the subtraction modification exempting social security benefits, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, citing the increased property tax homestead refund claim section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, decreasing the normal privilege tax rate, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, decreasing the rate of ad valorem tax imposed by a school district; providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund, reducing the state rate of tax on sales of food and food ingredients and modifying the percent credited to the state highway fund from revenue collected.

KS SB7

Authorizing federally licensed firearm dealers, in addition to county sheriffs, to receive applications for concealed carry licenses and forward such applications to the attorney general, prohibiting sheriffs from assessing any fee related to application services and allowing dealers to assess a fee related to application services not to exceed $20.

KS HB2001

Authorizing the secretary of commerce to enter into agreements with major professional sports franchises to establish STAR bond projects for a major professional sports complex, providing for additional revenue sources, expanding the powers and discretion of the secretary and making other changes to the STAR bonds financing act to facilitate such projects, limiting the secretary’s authority to approve such projects to one year unless extended by the legislative coordinating council, authorizing the Kansas development finance authority to issue STAR bonds for such projects, transferring funds under certain circumstances from the state gaming revenues fund to the attracting professional sports to Kansas fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and, if approved by the legislative coordinating council, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.

KS SB1

Modifying income tax rates for individuals, exempting all social security benefits from Kansas income tax, increasing the Kansas standard deduction and the Kansas personal exemption, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, decreasing the privilege tax normal tax, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value for property tax valuation purposes, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund and abolishing the local ad valorem tax reduction fund and the county and city revenue sharing fund.

KS HB2004

Authorizing counties to propose an earnings tax for ballot question.

KS SB6

Providing a sales tax exemption for sales of electricity to residential premises by municipally owned or operated utilities.

KS SCR1604

Proposing to amend section 1 of article 11 of the constitution of the state of Kansas to limit property tax valuation increases for real property and personal property mobile homes.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.