A bill headed to the full Idaho House sets 16 as the minimum age for a person to get married. The measure sent to the full chamber by the House Judiciary, Rules, and Administration Committee on Tuesday also limits the marriages of 16- and 17-year-olds to someone not more than three years older. Idaho currently has no minimum marriage age, and backers say the legislation is needed to prevent young girls from marrying much older men. A similar bill failed in the House last year that required a judge to sign off on someone marrying at 16 or 17. The new legislation only requires parental consent. Democrats on the committee voted for the measure as an improvement over no minimum marriage age but said removing a judge from the process means parents could coerce children into unwanted marriages. (AP)
