JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – One member of the Missouri Senate has made another proposal to raise the minimum age of marriage within the state.

Sen. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette, introduced Senate Bill 66 to the 103rd General Assembly.

Under the bill proposal, both parties involved in obtaining a marriage license would need to be at least 18 years old.

Currently, in the Show-Me State, 16 and 17-year-olds can get married to anyone under the age of 21 as long as they have parental consent. Back in 2018, the General Assembly passed legislation to raise the minimum age from 15 to 16 with a parent’s written permission.

This bill proposal is not new to the Senate. Senate Bill 767 was introduced by Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder, R-Sikeston, in the last legislative session and reached a third reading in May, but was never signed into law.

According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, between 2019 and 2021, roughly 230 minors were married in Missouri. The department said about 75% of those marriages were girls under the age of 18.

Senate Bill 66 held its second reading on Jan. 16, and the bill was referred to the Education Committee.