00 SENATE BILL NO. 213 01 "An Act relating to the crime of coercion; and relating to the minimum age of eligibility 02 for marriage." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. AS 11.41.530(a) is amended to read: 05 (a) A person commits the crime of coercion if the person 06 (1) compels another to engage in conduct from which there is a legal 07 right to abstain or abstain from conduct in which there is a legal right to engage, by 08 means of instilling in the person who is compelled a fear that, if the demand is not 09 complied with, the person who makes the demand or another may 10 (A) [(1)] inflict physical injury on anyone, except under 11 circumstances constituting robbery in any degree, or commit any other crime; 12 (B) [(2)] accuse anyone of a crime; 13 (C) [(3)] expose confidential information or a secret, whether 14 true or false, tending to subject a person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule or to 01 impair the person's credit or business repute; 02 (D) [(4)] take or withhold action as a public servant or cause a 03 public servant to take or withhold action; 04 (E) [(5)] bring about or continue a strike, boycott, or other 05 collective unofficial action, if the property is not demanded or received for the 06 benefit of the group in whose interest the person making the threat or 07 suggestion purports to act; 08 (F) [(6)] testify or provide information or withhold testimony 09 or information with respect to a person's legal claim or defense; or 10 (2) compels or induces another person to enter into a marriage 11 without consent. 12 * Sec. 2. AS 11.41.530(b) is amended to read: 13 (b) It is a defense to a prosecution under (a)(1)(B), (C), or (D) [(a)(2), (3), OR 14 (4)] of this section that the defendant reasonably believed that the accusation or 15 exposure was true or that the lawsuit or other invocation of official action was justified 16 and that the defendant's sole intent was to compel or induce the victim to take 17 reasonable action to correct the wrong that is the subject of the accusation, exposure, 18 lawsuit, or invocation of official action or to refrain from committing an offense. 19 * Sec. 3. AS 25.05.011(a) is amended to read: 20 (a) Marriage is a civil contract entered into by two natural persons [ONE 21 MAN AND ONE WOMAN] that requires both a license and solemnization. Each 22 person shall [THE MAN AND THE WOMAN MUST EACH] be at least one of the 23 following: 24 (1) 18 years of age or older and otherwise capable; 25 (2) emancipated under AS 09.55.590 [QUALIFIED FOR A 26 LICENSE UNDER AS 25.05.171]; or 27 (3) a member of the armed forces of the United States while on active 28 duty. 29 * Sec. 4. AS 25.20.020 is amended to read: 30 Sec. 25.20.020. Arrival at majority upon marriage. A person arrives at the 31 age of majority upon being married according to law [, UNLESS THE PERSON IS 01 UNDER THE MARRIAGEABLE AGE OF CONSENT AS DEFINED IN 02 AS 25.05.171(a), IN WHICH CASE THE PERSON REACHES MAJORITY UPON 03 REACHING THE MARRIAGEABLE AGE OF CONSENT]. 04 * Sec. 5. AS 25.05.171 is repealed. 05 * Sec. 6. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 06 read: 07 APPLICABILITY. This Act applies to a person married on or after the effective date 08 of this Act.