A lawmaker in Utah has introduced a bill that would prevent people who haven’t paid their child support from obtaining permits for hunting and fishing.
House Bill 197 was introduced Monday at the request of the state’s Office of Recovery Services as an enforcement tool to tackle the $404,160,838 in past due child support in the state, the bill’s sponsor Rep. Karianne Lisbonee told CNN in an email.
Lisbonee says that 38% of Utah families do not receive their current child support.
“Non-custodial support payments to children help fund their health care, shelter, food, and education,” Lisbonee said. “Loss of this support has a profoundly negative impact on children.”
The bill seeks to prohibit anyone who owes $2,500 or more in child support from obtaining a license, permit or tag from the state’s Division of Wildlife Resources.
An individual can buy a permit only after they are no longer in arrears on payments and the Office of Recovery Services notes the payment, the proposed legislation says.
If passed, the bill would take effect July 1, 2021.