ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation on Thursday that raises the age of consent to be married in New York to 18.
The law go into effect in 30 days and will apply to licenses issued after that date.
"This administration fought hard to successfully end child marriage in New York and I'm proud to sign this legislation to strengthen our laws and further protect vulnerable children from exploitation," Cuomo said in a statement.
"Children should be allowed to live their childhood and I thank the many legislators and advocates who worked diligently to advance this measure and further prevent forced marriages in this state."
This legislation builds off a bill passed in 2017 that removed the ability for 17-year-olds to get married with parental and judicial consent.