Judges are often hesitant to suspend a person's license to drive, Brasher said, aside from extreme cases where no other options will work to collect back child support.

"It doesn't seem to make sense that if you're trying to get someone to work and to pay their child support that you take their means of transportation away from them," he said. "When you do that, you inhibit their ability to some extent to work."

In addition to driver's licenses, the audit suggests also allowing the Office of Recovery Services to administratively suspend the professional and recreational — hunting, fishing — licenses of those who fail to pay their court-ordered child support.

In Utah, auditors identified a "successful real estate agent" who made more than $120,000 in 2003 but has only occasionally made payments to $20,000 in back child support. The audit also highlights a licensed contractor with 2003 earnings of $53,000 and who owes $17,000 in back child support — a good candidate for license suspension, according to the audit.

The audit also recommends that the Office of Recovery Services be more aggressive in seizing funds from nonpayers' checking accounts, decreasing the current $2,000 limit to $500 to begin lien proceedings, and more effectively publicizing its enforcement methods.

"Our audit is speaking loudly and boldly with the idea that we have to do more and these people need to be responsible," legislative auditor general John Schaff said.

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Child support collected in Utah

1999: $117 million

2000: $128 million

2001: $138 million

2002: $143 million

2003: $147 million

2004: $151 million

2005: $158 million

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E-MAIL: awelling@desnews.com