This bill proposes to lower the age of consent for marriage to 17 years for individuals where at least one party is an active duty member of the military, provided certain conditions are met. Specifically, the bill inserts new language into RSA 457:5, establishing that the age of consent is 17 if one party is an active duty military member, the other is at least 17 years old, and at least one party is a resident of New Hampshire. Additionally, if the non-military party is 17, they must obtain written permission from a parent or legal guardian to marry. The bill also clarifies that this provision does not alter any existing requirements for obtaining a marriage license.

Furthermore, the bill removes outdated language regarding age waivers for marriage registration records, as such waivers are no longer issued in New Hampshire. This deletion is reflected in the amendments to RSA 5-C:42, which now states that both applicants for a marriage license must be at least 18 years of age, except as provided in the newly inserted RSA 457:5. The bill is set to take effect 60 days after its passage.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 457:5, 457:4, 5-C:42