SENATE COMMITTEE ADVANCES ADAMS’S SB 156
TO CLOSE REMAINING CHILD MARRIAGE LOOPHOLE
Survivor testimony emphasizes need for stronger enforcement of Kentucky’s child marriage ban
FRANKFORT, KY. (Feb. 26, 2026)— Senate Bill (SB) 156, sponsored by Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, passed the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee this morning following powerful testimony from a survivor of child marriage.
SB 156 builds upon SB 48, the 2018 law sponsored by Adams that ended legal child marriage in Kentucky. While that law established 18 as the legal age for marriage, it included a limited judicial exception for 17-year-olds. According to testimony presented in committee, that exception has not been consistently followed and, in some cases, has been exploited.
SB 156 removes that remaining exception and establishes 18 as the clear, enforceable minimum age for marriage in Kentucky.
During the hearing, Donna Simmons, a survivor of generational child marriage and childhood trauma, shared her personal experience of being married as a minor and the long-term consequences that followed. Simmons described systemic failures across multiple institutions and emphasized how legal loopholes can enable abuse to continue under the cover of a marriage license.
“This is not theoretical,” Simmons told lawmakers. “This is my life.”
Adams said the legislation is focused on ensuring the law is clear and consistently enforced.
“Ending child marriage in 2018 was an important step for protecting our children, but what we have seen is that the remaining exception has not always been adhered to,” Adams said. “SB 156 simply closes that loophole and makes the law clear: marriage in Kentucky begins at 18.”
Committee members acknowledged the difficult testimony and expressed appreciation for Simmons’s willingness to speak publicly.
SB 156 now advances for consideration by the full Senate.