On September 1, legislation that was sponsored by Rep. Matt Claman that modernizes Alaska’s marriage statutes to address child marriage statutes and keep Alaska open and ready for business became law. The legislation modifies the marriage witness requirement and will allow Alaska to better compete with popular destination wedding states such as Hawaii and Florida.
Rep. Claman said that this bill is about Alaska being ready and open for business:
“I know some of the folks have asked questions about how much is there really the out of state wedding industry and we got from the Department of Vital Statistics that kind of on an average year there’s around between 400 and 550 weddings that involve two non-residents in Alaska, which comprises roughly 10% of the total weddings that take place in Alaska. This has actually been, up until the pandemic, it was a growing industry already. What was happening was folks would go to these destination, sometimes in helicopter, sometimes on hikes, to some of the beauty of Alaska and they’d be required to round up somebody to come to their wedding who they never knew who knew nothing about it so they can witness the ceremony and folks were saying this is just actually not really serving the essential purposes that the state has in being involved in marriage.”
House Bill 62 raises the legal minimum age to marry in the state from 14 to 16. Minors who have reached the age of 16 or 17 may only marry if the other party to the marriage is not more than three years older. Additionally, a minor may only marry if they are an emancipated minor; if they have parental consent and court approval; or they have court approval after the court finds the parents are withholding consent, absent or otherwise unaccountable, in disagreement among themselves on the question, or unfit to decide on the matter.
The legislation also updates marriage statutes to only require one witness instead of two to help support the state’s destination wedding industry while preserving the integrity of marriage.
Transcribed audio courtesy of KTOO 360TV.
