HB1744 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 03545 JRC 13568 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB1744

Introduced 1/28/2025, by Rep. Joe C. Sosnowski

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

750 ILCS 5/203	from Ch. 40, par. 203
750 ILCS 5/301	from Ch. 40, par. 301
750 ILCS 5/302	from Ch. 40, par. 302
750 ILCS 5/208 rep.

Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Requires proof that each party to the marriage has attained the age of 18 years in order to obtain a license to marry and a marriage certificate from the county clerk. Deletes language allowing proof that each party to the marriage will have attained the age of 18 years at the time the marriage license is effective or will have attained the age of 16 years and has either the consent to the marriage of both parents or his guardian or judicial approval. Makes corresponding changes. Repeals a provision regarding judicial approval of underage marriages. Effective immediately, except that specified provisions take effect 2 years after the amendatory Act becomes law.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning civil law.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act is amended by changing Section 203 as follows:

(750 ILCS 5/203) (from Ch. 40, par. 203)

Sec. 203. License to Marry. When a marriage application has been completed and signed by both parties to a prospective marriage and both parties have appeared before the county clerk and the marriage license fee has been paid, the county clerk shall issue a license to marry and a marriage certificate form upon being furnished:

(1) satisfactory proof that each party to the marriage has will have attained the age of 18 years at the time the marriage license is effective or will have attained the age of 16 years and has either the consent to the marriage of both parents or his guardian or judicial approval; provided, if one parent cannot be located in order to obtain such consent and diligent efforts have been made to locate that parent by the consenting parent, then the consent of one parent plus a signed affidavit by the consenting parent which (i) names the absent parent and states that he or she cannot be located, and (ii) states what diligent efforts have been made to locate the absent parent, shall have the effect of both parents' consent for purposes of this Section;

(2) satisfactory proof that the marriage is not prohibited; and

(3) an affidavit or record as prescribed in subparagraph (1) of Section 205 or a court order as prescribed in subparagraph (2) of Section 205, if applicable.

With each marriage license, the county clerk shall provide a pamphlet describing the causes and effects of fetal alcohol syndrome. At least annually, the county board shall submit to the Illinois Department of Public Health a report as to the county clerk's compliance with the requirement that the county clerk provide a pamphlet with each marriage license. All funding and production costs for the aforementioned educational pamphlets for distribution to each county clerk shall be provided by non-profit, non-sectarian statewide programs that provide education, advocacy, support, and prevention services pertaining to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

(Source: P.A. 96-1323, eff. 1-1-11.)

Section 10. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act is amended by changing Sections 301 and 302 as follows:

(750 ILCS 5/301) (from Ch. 40, par. 301)

Sec. 301. Declaration of invalidity; grounds. Invalidity - Grounds.) The court shall enter its judgment declaring the invalidity of a marriage (formerly known as annulment) entered into under the following circumstances:

(1) a party lacked capacity to consent to the marriage at the time the marriage was solemnized, either because of mental incapacity or infirmity or because of the influence of alcohol, drugs or other incapacitating substances, or a party was induced to enter into a marriage by force or duress or by fraud involving the essentials of marriage;

(2) a party lacks the physical capacity to consummate the marriage by sexual intercourse and at the time the marriage was solemnized the other party did not know of the incapacity;

(3) (blank) a party was aged 16 or 17 years and did not have the consent of his parents or guardian or judicial approval; or

(4) the marriage is prohibited.

(Source: P.A. 80-923.)

(750 ILCS 5/302) (from Ch. 40, par. 302)

Sec. 302. Time of Commencement.)

(a) A declaration of invalidity under paragraph paragraphs (1) or (2) through (3) of Section 301 may be sought by any of the following persons and must be commenced within the times specified:

(1) for any of the reasons set forth in paragraph (1) of Section 301, by either party or by the legal representative of the party who lacked capacity to consent, no later than 90 days after the petitioner obtained knowledge of the described condition;

(2) for the reason set forth in paragraph (2) of Section 301, by either party, no later than one year after the petitioner obtained knowledge of the described condition;

(3) (blank) for the reason set forth in paragraph (3) of Section 301, by the underaged party, his parent or guardian, prior to the time the underaged party reaches the age at which he could have married without needing to satisfy the omitted requirement.

(b) In no event may a declaration of invalidity of marriage be sought after the death of either party to the marriage under paragraph subsections (1) or , (2) and (3) of Section 301.

(c) A declaration of invalidity for the reason set forth in paragraph (4) of Section 301 may be sought by either party, the legal spouse in case of a bigamous marriage, the State's Attorney or a child of either party, at any time not to exceed 3 years following the death of the first party to die.

(Source: P.A. 80-923.)

(750 ILCS 5/208 rep.)

Section 15. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act is amended by repealing Section 208.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law, except that Section 10 takes effect 2 years after this Act becomes law.