Sign Up
HB 6918 Connecticut House · 2025 Regular Session

AN ACT PROHIBITING FIRST COUSIN MARRIAGE.

HB 6918 prohibits marriage between first cousins in Connecticut. It directly affects individuals seeking marriage licenses within the state who are first cousins. The bill amends Connecticut’s marriage statutes to explicitly ban such unions, replacing previous ambiguous language with a clear prohibition. This law became effective upon the governor’s signature on June 23, 2025 (Public Act 25-72).
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
Jun 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Feb 10, 2025 Signed Jun 23, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → JUD Joint Favorable Substitute · 3 edits
MINOR
This bill amends Connecticut's marriage laws to prohibit first-cousin marriages effective October 1, 2025, while maintaining existing prohibitions on closer relatives. The legislation adds a new section specifically banning first-cousin unions and updates the statutory language to clarify marriage eligibility requirements.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on marriage prohibitions, but it now explicitly codifies a ban on first-cousin marriages that was previously only implied in the general prohibitions on close relatives.
ELIGIBILITY

Added explicit prohibition on marriage between first cousins, making them ineligible to marry on and after October 1, 2025.

REQUIREMENT

Reorganized the statutory language to list marriage eligibility criteria in a numbered format, including age requirements, relationship status, and existing prohibitions.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill designation from 'Raised Bill' to 'Substitute Bill' and updated committee reference from JUDICIARY to JUD Joint Favorable Substitute, indicating legislative approval.

Floor votes · Senate Jun 2, 2025 · House May 15, 2025

How they voted

36–0
Passed
Total votes 36
Jun 2, 2025
D Democratic25
25 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican11
11 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
18
Key actions
4
Committee
2
Jun 23, 2025
Signed into law
SIGNED BY GOVERNOR
lower
Jun 2, 2025
Upper · Passed
SENATE PASSED
upper
May 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
HOUSE PASSED
lower
Apr 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
Joint Favorable Substitute
lower
Feb 10, 2025
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Judiciary
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.