HB83 would allow Utah's Office of Recovery Services to suspend the driver licenses of noncustodial parents who duck their child support obligations. Lawmakers voted 45-16 for the bill, but first amended it to provide for restricted licenses for parents to drive to work, to school or to visit their children.

Backing the bill were mostly women calling for more aggressive child support collections.

For single-parent families living "paycheck to paycheck," a missed child support payment "can mean the difference between making rent or not," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Julie Fisher, R-Fruit Heights.

Citing an audit that showed Utah parents have fallen behind on $325 million in child support payments, Fisher said the bill isn't meant to be punitive. The idea is to prevent debts from building to the point where they become unpayable and taxpayers pick up the tab.

"Look at the welfare rolls," said Rep. Peggy Wallace, R-West Jordan. "Every citizen in this state pays for that, and then we have a parent saying, 'Things are a little tight this month, I guess I won't pay my child support.' "

Opposing the bill were men who felt stripping driving privileges was too steep a penalty.

"I really worry whether the punishment fits the crime," said Rep. Gordon Snow, R-Roosevelt. "When we start restricting a parent from going to work, we've made it even more difficult for them to catch up on their child support."

Rep. LaVar Christensen rejected the characterization of nonpaying parents as "deadbeats."

"There is this assumption that there is a legion of irresponsible people out there thumbing their noses at their obligations, merrily driving all over the place," said the Draper Republican. "I've seen dads who are swimming under what the statutory guidelines are. When families break up, you can't maintain two households on one income. The money doesn't go as far as it used to."

Christensen succeeded in changing the bill to restrict, rather than suspend, licenses. Lawmakers rejected his proposal to give parents up to 90 days to mount a defense before losing their driving privileges. But the time frame was expanded from 15 to 30 days.

Also, enactment of the legislation was delayed until Jan. 1, 2007. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.