HB83 would have allowed Utah's Office of Recovery Services (ORS) to suspend the driver licenses of noncustodial parents who duck their child support obligations. A watered-down version debated Tuesday provided for 90-day restricted licenses for parents to drive to work, to school or to visit their children. The measure also gave parents a chance to appeal suspensions and recovery agents the discretion to go after only the worst offenders.

The idea is to prevent debts from building to the point where they become unpayable and taxpayers pick up the tab, said sponsoring Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Cottonwood Heights. "This can mean the difference in making rent payments, or whether a custodial parent has to turn to government services to make ends meet."

But the concessions failed to win votes from senators who felt stripping driving privileges was too punitive.

"I would call this a minimum mandatory [sentence]. I think we're going too far with this," said Taylorsville Republican Sen. Michael Waddoups.

Sen. Al Mansell, R-Sandy, wondered whether a restricted license would deprive nonpaying parents of going to church.

Giving rise to the bill was a legislative probe that showed Utah parents have fallen behind on $325 million in child support. The state can already petition a court to suspend driver licenses, but Walker said doing so is costly and takes too long to make it worthwhile.

Logan Republican Sen. Lyle Hillyard offered a different explanation: "I've never seen ORS ask a judge to suspend a driver's license. . . . I don't fault them as much as they're overworked. But their records are often wrong, so leaving suspensions up to them is not the best approach."