Tougher tools eyed for child support

Lawmakers in the upcoming legislative session appear ready to get tough on noncustodial parents who fail to pay child support, as well as make things a little easier on those who do pay their monthly obligations.

The Judiciary Interim Committee on Wednesday gave favorable recommendations to four bills relating to child-support collection — including a measure to suspend the driver's licenses of habitual non-payers — and one to simplify disputes over visitation and parent-time agreements.

"This is not the silver bullet that is going to clear up all our child-support collection problems," said sponsoring Rep. Julie Fisher, R-Fruit Heights, of the driver's license bill. "To suspend a driver's license is just another tool in the Office of Recovery Service's toolbox."

A December 2005 audit found that $325 million is owed for Utah children in unpaid child support. Legislative auditors recommended the measure as a potentially effective way to collect unpaid child support from those who can afford to pay their obligations but choose not to do so.

Fisher sponsored a similar bill in the 2006 legislative session, which passed overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives but died on a tie vote in the Senate.

Community advocates spoke in favor of the new measure Wednesday, as did two mothers who believe that the threat of a suspended driver's license would prompt child-support payment in their cases.

"I just think this is a really great tool. It would work with my ex-husband, because he's an ultimatum person, and he won't do it if he won't have to," said Lori Russell, a mother of four who said her ex-husband repeatedly fails to pay his $1,373 court-ordered child support.

The measure received support from all but one committee member Wednesday.

"I just have some real problems with it, and I do not think it's an appropriate way to coerce payment," said Rep. Susan Lawrence, R-Millcreek.

Each of the other bills discussed Wednesday received unanimous support from the committee, even a controversial attempt to revise Utah's child-support guidelines, which have not seen changes since 1994. The measure, which would increase child-support amounts for parents with one child by 25 percent in some cases, has been strongly opposed by noncustodial parents.

"This is a complicated area," said sponsoring Sen. Greg Bell, R-Fruit Heights. "It's fraught with much emotion."