The law requires that if a child has lived out of the state more than five years, a criminal background check is required. If the child is from California, for example, information must be tracked down to the individual county.

If a check involves Oklahoma, the screening is made nearly impossible because that state simply refuses to share data with other states.

Several states, including Utah, are now lobbying against the act or, at minimum, for implementing some drastic changes.

Betournay said that Utah and other states have been criticized for being anti-relatives. "We don't have a bias against kin, we have a bias toward the safety of kids."

It's a trade-off between safety and risk, and lawmakers will have to determine what that is, he said.

"Some people are rightfully very upset," he added. "If I were kin or kid, I would be. No amount of time is acceptable away from loving parents or family."

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E-mail: jthalman@desnews.com