Committee narrows child‑support driver’s‑license suspensions when child ‘primarily resides’ with parent

The Judiciary Committee approved an amendment Tuesday that narrows House Bill 412 to prevent suspension of a parent’s driver’s license when a child “primarily resides” with that parent.

A committee member presenting the amendment said the change preserves child‑support collection but exempts parents from license suspension when the child lives with them. “If a child is residing with the parent, I hope we would all agree … then they should not have their driver's license suspended,” the committee member said.

Members asked whether the rule applies in shared‑custody arrangements. The presenting member clarified the amendment uses the statutory phrase “primarily resides,” meaning the exemption attaches to the parent with primary residence of the child, not to every parent with partial visitation rights.

Fiscal staff and counsel provided a letter from the Department of Human Services during the discussion. According to the committee record, DHS revised an earlier fiscal estimate from approximately $5,900,000 to an estimated state impact of about $32,000; the committee proceeded after noting the revised fiscal figure.

The amendment passed by voice vote and the bill as amended passed on roll call, with the clerk reporting the final tally as recorded on the floor.

What’s next: The bill, as amended, will proceed through the legislative process with the committee’s recorded amendment on driver‑license suspensions in place.