TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - It will soon be illegal in Florida for anyone under the age of 17 to get married under a bill signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott.
Scott on Friday signed 74 bills into law including the ban on child marriages and a tax cut package that authorizes a back-to-school sales tax holiday in August.
The ban takes effect in July.
The legislation was a compromise between the House and Senate. The Senate originally passed a bill that banned the marriage of anyone under 18, but the House wanted exceptions for some 16- and 17-year-olds when there’s a pregnancy.
The bill signed by Scott would set limits on the marriage of 17-year-olds. While pregnancy won’t be a factor, anyone marrying a 17-year-old couldn’t be more than two years older and minors would need parental consent.
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