Overview
Title
To comprehensively combat child marriage in the United States.
ELI5 AI
S. 4990 is a plan to stop kids from getting married by creating a special team to study the problem and help kids who need it, giving states extra money if they make a law saying you have to be 18 to marry, and making sure everyone knows the new rules.
Summary AI
S. 4990 proposes a comprehensive approach to combat child marriage in the United States by establishing a federal commission to study the issue, provide recommendations, and improve services and outcomes for survivors. The bill calls for the creation of a State-based task force and incentivizes states to eliminate child marriage by offering increased funding through specific grant programs if they enact laws banning marriage under the age of 18. It also includes measures to remedy child marriage under immigration law and promotes public education about the amendments to immigration regulations related to child marriage. Additionally, the bill restricts the use of federal properties to facilitate marriages involving individuals under 18 years of age.
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AnalysisAI
General Summary
The "Child Marriage Prevention Act of 2024" aims to address and eliminate child marriage across the United States. The bill proposes a federal commission to examine the prevalence and impact of child marriage, coordinate state task forces, and suggest legislative actions. It offers grants to states that prohibit marriage under 18, increases funding for states meeting these criteria, and modifies immigration laws related to child marriage. Additionally, the bill mandates efforts in public education about the harms of child marriage and ensures federal limitations on using government property for such marriages.
Summary of Significant Issues
Several notable issues arise with this bill. First, the appointment process for the federal commission might lead to perceived political bias. The allowance for accepting donations could lead to potential conflicts of interest. Financial transparency and accountability are concerns since the funding allocated for the commission is not supported by detailed estimates or plans. The timeline for reporting on child marriage could be too lengthy given the urgency of the matter, and a lack of consequences for non-compliance by states may weaken the effectiveness of data gathering. Additionally, federal limitations on marriage age may conflict with varying state laws, complicating legal enforcement. Lastly, updates to immigration terms and public education might lack clarity or specificity, potentially limiting their effectiveness.
Impact on the Public
This bill could significantly impact the public by standardizing efforts to prevent child marriage, thereby promoting the safety and well-being of minors. With the proposed changes, individuals under 18 would be protected from premature marriage, which is statistically linked to higher rates of poverty, educational disruptions, and health challenges. Educating the public about the harms associated with child marriage might lead to increased awareness and societal change, encouraging states to adopt stricter regulations.
Impact on Specific Stakeholders
For minors, the bill promises greater protection and support against forced or coerced marriages, potentially improving their educational, social, and health outcomes. However, inconsistencies between state and federal regulations might make enforcement challenging. Immigrant communities could face adjustments due to stricter marriage-related immigration laws. Public agencies, tasked with implementing these changes, might experience increased responsibilities and logistical challenges, especially concerning public education in multiple languages. Nonprofit organizations working on child marriage issues may benefit from increased collaboration and potential funding through state task forces.
Overall, while the bill proposes comprehensive measures to combat child marriage, the complexity of aligning state and federal laws, ensuring transparent processes, and effectively disseminating education materials presents challenges that need addressing to achieve the bill's goals.
Financial Assessment
The proposed bill, S. 4990, encompasses several financial elements aimed at combating child marriage across the United States. These financial allocations and references play a crucial role in the bill's execution and effectiveness.
Federal Commission Funding
The bill allocates $1,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2027 and 2028 to support the operations of the National Commission to Combat Child Marriage in the United States. While this funding aims to facilitate the commission's research and reporting activities, there is a notable lack of detailed estimates or a breakdown of how these funds will be spent. This absence of clarity could raise concerns about accountability and oversight, as highlighted in the issues section. The public and stakeholders might have difficulty assessing whether the allocated funds are being used effectively and efficiently without these details.
Grant Program for State Task Forces
In order to encourage states to examine child marriage within their jurisdictions, the bill authorizes $375,000 for each fiscal year from 2027 through 2032 to establish state-based task forces. These grants are specifically designed for states that allow individuals younger than 18 years of age to marry, aiming to support their investigation into the prevalence and impacts of child marriage. This allocation seeks to motivate states to address child marriage issues comprehensively. However, an area of concern is the lack of consequences if states fail to provide necessary information for federal reports, potentially undermining the efficacy of this funding.
State Incentives
The bill proposes that states implementing a law that prohibits marriage for individuals under 18 years of age could receive increased funding under existing grant programs. The amount of this increase is capped at no more than 10% of the average funding under past awards for specific covered formula grants, such as the STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program. The incentive is designed to encourage states to legislate against child marriage, but the process by which the Attorney General determines the requirements for grant applications is not clearly defined, raising potential concerns about arbitrary decisions.
Appropriations and Language Accessibility
While the bill contains various allocations, it does not clearly define the languages deemed "appropriate" for the multimedia advisories required to inform communities about changes in immigration law related to child marriage. This lack of specificity could lead to certain populations being excluded from accessing critical information, despite the financial efforts intended to support public education on this topic.
In summary, while the financial allocations in the bill aim to support efforts to study, prevent, and address child marriage, there are notable areas where further clarification and specificity could enhance accountability, transparency, and effectiveness in reaching the bill's goals. These areas include clear oversight of federal funding, precise language requirements for public communications, and unequivocal state compliance criteria for grant eligibility.
Issues
The bill establishes a Federal Commission to address child marriage, but the appointment process for Commission members may be seen as politically biased, potentially favoring specific political parties (Section 4).
The bill allows for the acceptance of donations by the Commission, which might lead to potential conflicts of interest or undue influence from external entities that provide donations (Section 4).
The authorization of $1,500,000 for each fiscal year 2027 and 2028 for the Commission is not justified with detailed estimates or breakdowns, leading to concerns about accountability and oversight (Section 4).
The 'appropriate committees of Congress' term is defined but might cause ambiguity if committee names change, potentially affecting report distribution (Section 5).
The bill provides a timeline for the Comptroller General to submit reports on child marriage, but the timeline may be too long, especially considering the urgency of addressing forced or coerced marriages (Section 5).
There is no stated consequence if states do not provide the necessary information for child marriage reports, potentially impacting report effectiveness (Section 5).
Potential conflict with state laws on the legal age of marriage is not addressed, which could create legal complexities or enforcement challenges (Section 8).
The bill's use of 'noncitizen' as a new definition may lead to confusion if not consistently applied across relevant immigration laws (Section 10).
The process by which the Attorney General determines 'reasonably require' for grant applications is vague, which may lead to arbitrary decisions (Section 7).
The requirement for multimedia advisories and materials to be in 'appropriate' languages lacks specificity regarding required languages, potentially excluding certain populations from access to information (Section 10).
Sections
Sections are presented as they are annotated in the original legislative text. Any missing headers, numbers, or non-consecutive order is due to the original text.
1. Short title Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The first section of this act establishes its official title, which is the "Child Marriage Prevention Act of 2024".
2. Findings Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
Congress has found that child marriage in the United States has significant negative effects, including limiting educational opportunities, increasing the likelihood of poverty and mental health issues, and facilitating abuse. Although some states have taken steps to eliminate child marriage by setting the minimum marriage age at 18, varying laws between states still put minors at risk, and child marriage can also be supported through immigration practices. National strategies recognize child marriage as a form of gender-based violence and call for efforts to address and prevent it.
3. Definitions Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section of the bill defines "noncitizen" as anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or national, and "State" as any of the 50 U.S. states, Washington D.C., or U.S. territories and possessions.
4. Federal commission to address child marriage Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The text establishes a "National Commission to Combat Child Marriage" within the Department of Health and Human Services. The commission will study child marriage in the U.S., review related laws, gather expert opinions, and provide recommendations to Congress to eliminate child marriage and improve support for those affected. It will operate for two years, delivering interim and final reports before terminating.
Money References
- Commission, and all the authorities of this section, shall terminate 180 days after the date on which the final report is submitted under paragraph (3). (B) RECORDS.—Not later than the date of termination of the Commission under subparagraph (A), all records and papers of the Commission shall be delivered to the Archivist of the United States for deposit in the National Archives. (h) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 and 2028. ---
5. GAO reports Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The bill section requires the Comptroller General of the United States to submit reports to Congress about child marriage in the U.S., examining laws and consequences related to individuals marrying before 18, and immigration issues involving underage spouses. These reports will include analyses of relevant laws, marriage statistics, and recommendations regarding age requirements for immigration petitions involving underage spouses.
6. Grant program for State task forces to examine child marriage Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The bill establishes a grant program to help states investigate the issue of child marriage by creating task forces. These task forces will gather data, analyze risk factors, consider whether to prohibit marriage under age 18, and make policy recommendations to protect young individuals from negative impacts associated with child marriage.
Money References
- “(3) TASKS.—A task force established under paragraph (1) shall— “(A) collect Statewide statistics for each of the 10 years preceding the date of the grant award on the number, age, gender, and residency of individuals in the eligible State who were younger than 18 years of age at the time of the marriage of such individual; “(B) examine the risk factors that lead to child marriage and negative impacts from child marriage in the eligible State, including the relationship between child marriage and threats to a minor’s safety, health, and well-being, and including risk factors and impacts such as forced or coerced marriage, family violence, sexual assault, child abuse and neglect, human trafficking, educational impacts, poverty, and other negative impacts on individuals who are younger than 18 years of age who marry; “(C) examine whether marriages that include an individual younger than 18 years of age should be prohibited in the eligible State; “(D) develop policy recommendations for the eligible State to address negative impacts of child marriage on individuals and the intersection between child marriage and forced or coerced marriage, family violence, sexual assault, child abuse and neglect, and human trafficking; and “(E) prepare a report with the recommendations of the task force, including on protecting individuals who are younger than 18 years of age from the negative impacts of child marriage and forced or coerced marriages and enabling already-married individuals who are younger than 18 years of age to protect themselves from abuse. “(c) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $375,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2032.”. ---
315. State task forces to examine child marriage Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
In this section of the bill, the Secretary is allowed to give grants to states that let individuals under 18 marry, so they can form task forces to study the issue of child marriage. These task forces will look into how common child marriage is, its causes and negative effects, and make policy recommendations to protect young people from its harms; the bill also allocates funding for this from 2027 to 2032.
Money References
- (c) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $375,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2032. ---
7. State incentives to eliminate child marriage Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section outlines a program where states can receive increased funding through two specific grants if they have laws prohibiting marriage for individuals under 18. The increase can be up to 10% of previous awards and can be provided up to four times, with 75% of the funds allocated to the Sexual Assault Services Program and 25% to the STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program.
Money References
- (f) Allocation of increased formula grant funds.—The Attorney General shall allocate an increase in the amount provided to a State under the covered formula grants under this section such that— (1) 25 percent the amount of the increase is provided under the program described in subsection (a)(1); and (2) 75 percent the amount of the increase is provided under the program described in subsection (a)(2). (g) Authorization of appropriations.—If the National Commission to Combat Child Marriage in the United States submits the interim report required under section 4(g)(1), there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2032. ---
8. Federal limitations on child marriage Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section states that federal property, such as land or buildings owned, leased, or controlled by the government, cannot be used for marriages unless both people getting married are at least 18 years old.
9. Department of Justice efforts to address child marriage Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The Department of Justice is tasked with forming a working group to create a model law that sets the minimum age for marriage at 18, following a National Commission's report on child marriage. This group will include members from various DOJ offices, such as the Office of Legal Policy and the Office of Violence Against Women, to ensure comprehensive input on the issue.
10. Modifications to immigration provisions relating to marriage Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The text outlines modifications to U.S. immigration laws concerning marriage, including defining a "noncitizen," updating visa classifications for noncitizen fiancés and spouses, and ensuring public education on these changes. It emphasizes the protection against gender-based violence and mandates that educational materials about these changes be widely available through various channels.