SS/SCS/SBs 767 & 1342 - Currently, no marriage license shall be issued in Missouri for individuals under 16 years of age or issued when one party to the marriage is under 18 years of age and the other party over 21 years of age. Additionally, no marriage license shall be issued if any party to the marriage is under 18 years of age without parental consent.

This act repeals those provisions and no marriage license shall be issued in Missouri for individuals under 18 years of age.

Under current law, a court may order a party in a divorce proceeding to pay a reasonable amount of court costs and attorney's fees to the other party. This act requires a court in an action to enforce a temporary order or final judgment in a divorce proceeding to order court costs and fees to be paid to the party seeking enforcement by the party against whom enforcement is sought.

This provision is identical to the SB 864 (2024) and the perfected SS/SB 128 (2023).

This act modifies the factors a court shall consider when awarding custody to parents, including the willingness and ability of parents to cooperate in the rearing of their child; the child's physical, emotional, educational, and other needs; the mental health or substance use history experienced by either parent; the history of domestic and child abuse of any individuals involved; the distance between the residences of the parents; and the reasonable input of the child as to the child's custodian.

This provision is identical to a provision in the perfected SS#2/SB 862 (2024) and SCS/SBs 744 & 1026 (2024) and substantially similar to provisions of the perfected SS/SCS/SB 129 (2023).

Currently, a court order for the custody of, or visitation with, a child may include a provision that the sheriff or other law enforcement shall enforce the rights of any person to custody or visitation. The act requires that such provision be included in custody or visitation orders.

SARAH HASKINS