H.B. 522 Parentage and Child Support Amendments

What this bill does

The bill sets child support for children placed with the state or a relative through juvenile court or DCFS using a low-income table, and it clarifies that parents with very low income owe no support in those cases. It also lets a husband who is separated but not yet divorced contest parentage of a child born during the separation, using DNA testing, so he can avoid support if he is not the biological father.

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Every vote

• 6 yes, 4 no, 1 absentHouse Judiciary Committee: vote to approve it · Feb 23, 2026Who voted how
• 37 yes, 30 no, 8 absentHouse vote, which failed · Feb 26, 2026

Hearings and debates

• Feb 23, 2026 House Judiciary Committee▶ Watch
  Transcript (15 turns)

  1. Committee chair1:27:46

     Thank you. Go to item number four on our agenda, HB 5 2 2 parentage and child support amendments from Representative Watkins. Representative Watkins, the time is yours.

  2. Rep. Christine F. Watkins1:27:58

     Thank you. Appreciate that. Uh, this bill has two different issues in it, and they are dealing with, uh, child support, but they're different issues. So we just, instead of having two different bills, they're, they're in one bill, just so I can explain that to you. Um, what the first one and these, uh, the first one comes from a constituent that I actually was working with this summer and, um, had some problems in their family and, uh, children were taken away. She's a single mom. And, um, a couple of years ago I passed a bill that put the, um, ceiling of where someone would have income and they don't pay child support, and it's supposed to be automatic, but they, they had her, uh, submit. She works just a little bit and, um, and besides going to school, and so they said, okay, you don't make enough money to pay child support. But then they came back to her and said, because your, your, uh, child is with your, uh, her grandmother, uh, oh, we have to charge you child support. And so, um, this is ORS. And so they were, they were going back and forth and, and, uh, finally ended up on a limit. But in the bill that I did a few years ago, it was, if you don't make enough money, you don't pay child support. And so, um, obviously there's a little bit of, um, confusion on the part of some people. So we wanted to clarify that. And so that's on, uh, lines. Um, if you look 1 34 down to 1 46, it explains that if there's abuse neglect that they, you know, they place the child. And so it's all right there that their support obligation is established in accordance with a low income table, uh, in that, in that title and stuff. And, and so that's part, and they have what they have to include. And, uh, so we just wanna make, clarify that and make sure that that's clear, that we're not going to have all these different things coming in that really don't have anything to do with it. And, uh, that that is how we establish the child support. Now the second part of this bill involves, again, ORS and, uh, something that they, and a lot of us think is kind of outdated, antiquated, whatever you want to use. And, uh, so I'll explain it. If you have a couple who are married and, um, they have separated, they're not divorced, but they have separated, and mom goes out, has a boyfriend, has a baby with this boyfriend by state law, the fa the person who's responsible for that child is the father, is the man who's married to this woman, not the biological father, the boyfriend, whatever you want to call him. And, um, so what this bill does is say, establishes a, a process where if they fi when they finally end up in divorce, if the father that w that is getting divorced from the mom says, that child is not mine, I'm not willing to pay child support, and they go through the process of DNA testing and stuff that they can be, um, exempted from taking care of that child that would belong, uh, to the true biological father, or if he just disappears, then I guess it would, then it would be on the mother, but he would not be required, which he is right now by law to take care, uh, of a child that is not his. Now, if he chooses to, that's different. If he said, you know, we're back together, we want to be this happy family, I will take that child as a responsibility or adopt him, whatever, this does not preclude that. This is just, if he says, I do not want, that's not my child. Uh, that's not someone I, I I want to be, be paying child support for. So that's the bill.

  3. Committee chair1:32:17

     Thank you Representative Watkins. We'll go to the committee for clarifying questions on HB 5 22. Seeing no clarifying questions, we'll go look to the public for a public comment. Is there anyone in the room that would like to speak to this bill? Okay, I'm nuts. Okay. Not seeing any public comment either in person or online? Oh, my apologies. Uh, Maria, Sharon. Maria, Sharon, We'll go to Ms. Maria Sharon for public comment online. Ms. Sharon, you'll have two minutes.

  4. Maria Sharon, resident1:32:56

     Yeah, sorry, I, I just spoke on the last one and I stuck around.

  5. Committee chair1:33:00

     No reason to be. Sorry. Thanks for joining us again.

  6. Maria Sharon, resident1:33:03

     Yeah, this is an interesting one for me because with my case that you already heard about, um, and the matters of low income and not having to pay child support, and maybe I need to get more, uh, do more research on this bill, but I have, uh, an ex-husband who's self-employed. So we've gone from making $500,000 a year or so to zero upon divorce. And, uh, self-employed people can stay in poverty because they can be dishonest very easily. So, um, I think that, um, there should never be a point where, um, someone doesn't have to pay child support. I think it's a responsibility, and in my case that you heard with all the litigation abuse and the cost of the courts and not getting paid child support, I've, my case has gone upwards of $200,000 of, of arrears and, um, he claims poverty. So that is all.

  7. Committee chair1:34:14

     Thank you, Ms. Sharon, thank you for joining us again. That will conclude our public comment portion of, uh, the meeting. We'll now come back to the committee for action on HB 5 22. Representative Watkins, I'm not seeing any substitutes or amendments. Okay.

  8. Rep. Lisonbee1:34:38

     Chair Libe. Thank you. Motion. Motion to favorably recommend The motion is to favorably recommend HV 5 22 outta this committee onto the full body of the house for its consideration.

  9. Committee chair1:34:51

     Would you like to speak to that chair, libe?

  10. Rep. Lisonbee1:34:53

      I would, I, I appreciate the public comment. I just wanna clarify that this does not deal with a case where custody remains with the parents. This is specifically about when custody is in, um, it, it is with the state. So it, I don't think this applies to the case that was referred to in public comment, and I wanna clarify that because I think it's important. So with that, that's my motion.

  11. Committee chair1:35:23

      Thank you Chair Libe. We'll go to the sponsor of the bill on the motion if I really recommend.

  12. Rep. Christine F. Watkins1:35:29

      Thank you. I appreciate that comment. That's exactly true. This is only, uh, uh, when a child's placed, uh, with a relative by the juvenile court or division of Child and Family Services. The woman who spoke before was talking about district court divorce cases, and they are very, very different. So it's not a, it's not a apples to apples kind of situation. This is, uh, uh, A-D-C-F-S situation. So, uh, I would appreciate your support. Thank you.

  13. Committee chair1:36:00

      Thank you, Representative Watkins. Seeing no further lights, we'll go back to the sponsor of the motion chair. Be first summation on the motion to favorably recommend. I'll waive. Okay. We'll go ahead and do a voice vote. All in favor of passing out HB 5 22 out of this committee and onto the full body of the house. Please say, aye. Aye. Any opposed? No. No. Okay. We'll, my apologies.

  14. Committee chair1:36:26

      Let's go ahead and do a roll call vote. Jennifer, would you be able to facilitate a roll call? Vote. Thank you. I'll put your Representative.

  15. Committee clerk (Jennifer)1:36:35

      Abbott. Aye, Acton? No. Er, no gracious, no. Hawkins, no lube? Yes. Manga. Aye. Millard? Yes. B Aye. Clancy? Yes. Six, four. That motion passes six to four with representatives, Acton, er, Hawkins, and gracious voting in the No thank you Representative Watkins Q.

• Feb 26, 2026 House floor debate▶ Watch
  Transcript (5 turns)

  1. Speaker (presiding)1:31:06

     house. Third reading calendar, House Bill 5 22 Parentage and Child Support Amendments by Representative Watkins. This bill was heard in judiciary with the vote of 6 4 1 Representative Watkins.

  2. Rep. Christine F. Watkins1:31:17

     Thank you Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair. This bill has two different, uh, parts in it and they're, even though they're in the same part of the rules, uh, they are very different issues, but they both deal with child support. The first one is that we have, uh, most of the time, uh, when I'm have been dealing with people, uh, it's usually a single mom that's one incident away, uh, from being homeless and and losing everything. But if they get involved with DCFS and, uh, for whatever reason, 'cause there's a myriad of them, they have their child or children, uh, taken by DCFS and they are put with a family member while they, uh, go through whatever DCFS and the courts decide they need to do. If their income is low enough, they do not have to pay child support. And these are some of the poorest of our poor. They are literally just, uh, a check away or a lack of a check from being out on the streets. But we have that written into law that if they are solo, they do not have to pay child support. But for some reason we say that if those kids go to a family member, this person has to pay some child support. And so what this bill does is it says if their income meets that low level, there is no child support required because very often they have to pay for classes that they take and some of the testing that they may be required to do. The other issue involves, um, a married couple that have decided to split but not get divorced. And, um, mom goes out and has a boyfriend, has a child, and by the laws of Utah right now, the person responsible for that child is the person that she's separated from. So what this bill does is it says if they do get divorced this soon to be ex-husband can appeal with the proper DNA testing to say, this child is not mine. I am not going to pay child support. There is nothing in the bill that says that if they get back together and he says, this is okay, I wanna raise this child as mine. He can do that. He can even say, I, I'm willing to pay the child support, but this is, if he says That child is not mine, I'm not going to pay for it. Um, he can do that in court. So that is my bill. Mr. Speaker.

  3. Speaker (presiding)1:34:10

     Thank you Representative Watkins. Discussion to the bill. None. Back to Representative Watkins for summation.

  4. Rep. Christine F. Watkins1:34:20

     Thank you. I think this will solve some problems for people. Thank you.

  5. Speaker (presiding)1:34:24

     Thank you. Representative voting will now be open on HB 5 22. Seeing all present, having voted voting is now closed. HB 5 22 fails to pass this body with 37 yes votes 30 no votes and will be sent to staff for filing Mad Marine Clerk