Child support facing overhaul?

Frank Sinatra may have waxed poetic about love and marriage, but the Utah Legislature this year appears to be singing a decidedly less-romantic tune.

At least a half-dozen bills now awaiting lawmakers' approval deal with the aftermath of marriage, with a heavy focus on recovering the millions of dollars in back child support owed by noncustodial parents.

The package of laws are being pushed by a handful of lawmakers who, along with experts and advocates, created an informal committee to look at all sides of the matter.

"I think that most people in this state love their children and take care of their children, but there are enough that have created a problem that can't be ignored," said Rep. Julie Fisher, R-Fruit Heights. "It's like the elephant in the room."

A December 2005 legislative audit found that $325 million is owed to Utah children in unpaid child support. Out of a caseload of 80,000, 47,000 cases are in arrears, according to the state Office of Recovery Services.

The two most contentious proposals are repeats of bills that failed last year — SB23, sponsored by Sen. Greg Bell, R-Farmington, which would update the state's 13-year-old child support guidelines and, in most cases, result in notable increases across the board; and Fisher's HB15, which would allow the state Office of Recovery Services to suspend the drivers' licenses of habitual nonpayers of child support.

Both face strong opposition from noncustodial parents, mostly fathers, who say the measures are based on bad data and stereotypes — that of the struggling single mother and the "deadbeat dad."

"There's two very polarized public opinions between these two groups," said Tony Curtis, a divorced father of three teenagers. "The reality is, both of these parents are struggling; both care about their kids."

Curtis, a senior software engineer, traveled to Capitol Hill last week, armed with a PowerPoint presentation analyzing the impact of SB23 on noncustodial parents. After factoring in tax deductions and child care credits available to custodial parents, Curtis testified, a noncustodial parent with a monthly income of $2,700 would have half the disposable income of a custodial parent who earned $1,850 a month.

After paying rent, utilities and automobile insurance, the noncustodial parent in Curtis' scenario was left with $163 to feed himself and his children, as well as provide transportation, entertainment and other needs for the kids during their time together.