Federal law now bans first-cousin marriage, overriding state choice.
H.R. 8634 — Consanguineous Marriage Prohibition Act of 2026 · Filed by Keith Self (R-TX) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Apr 30, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal law to prohibit marriages between people who are closely related by blood or marriage (up to and including first cousins). It does this by modifying the definition of who may legally marry under federal law, affecting federal recognition of marriages and potentially state law where federal standards apply.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is to restrict eligibility for federal marriage recognition based on genetic or marital relationship. It is a straightforward family law amendment with no hidden provisions or riders.
What the text implies
- May create conflict between federal and state law in states that currently permit first-cousin marriage, potentially invalidating existing marriages or creating dual-status uncertainty.
- Affects federal benefits (Social Security, tax filing, immigration sponsorship) for couples in close relationships, even in states where such marriage is legal under state law.
- No grandfather clause stated; unclear whether existing marriages would be grandfathered or retroactively affected.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill restricts the fundamental right to marry for a defined class of citizens (those related by blood or marriage within first-cousin degree). While some states already prohibit such marriages, this bill imposes a federal floor that overrides state law permitting such unions, removing choice from citizens in states that currently allow first-cousin marriage and potentially affecting existing marriages' federal recognition.
Named in the bill
United States Code Title 1, House Committee on the Judiciary
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Apr 30, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Apr 30, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (353 characters) on Sep 7, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,398 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-23.
“Federal law now bans first-cousin marriage, overriding state choice.” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr8634 Report an error
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