The Brief

A Florida bill that sought to ban marriage between first cousins failed to pass in the state Senate.

The proposal would have prohibited individuals from marrying anyone descended from their grandparents, effectively banning first-cousin marriages.

The issue may return for another vote, as first-cousin marriage remains legal in several states while banned in most others.

A Florida bill aiming to ban marrying first cousins has failed to pass in the state’s senate, according to multiple reports.

The bill proposed that a man “may not marry any woman who is a lineal 619 descendent of his grandparent. A woman may not marry any man who is a lineal descendent of her grandparent.”

What they’re saying

Rep. Dean Black told Action News Jax that he expected another vote on the same issue in the future.

“There are plenty of people here, and there are plenty of people you can find to be your lifelong partner without looking to your first cousin,” Black said. “So, yes. I think it should come back whether it’s a standalone bill, whether it’s tagged onto some other bill. Not really sure. We’ll have to see.”

Which states allow cousin marriage?

Dig deeper

In the U.S., there are several states that allow marrying first cousins without restrictions, while others allow it under certain conditions, according to Newsweek. 

Those states include:

Thirty-two states have blanket bans on cousin marriages.

The Source

Information for this article was taken from reporting by The Hill, Action Jax News, Newsweek, Deseret News and Florida House Bill 733. This story was reported from San Jose.