HB 248 Utah House · 2026 General Session

Family Law Modifications

HB 248 modifies Utah's family law system, primarily affecting individuals receiving or paying spousal and child support, as well as the Office of Recovery Services (ORS). It requires the ORS to hold meetings for support recipients and payers (with a sunset date), allows up to $35,000 in arrears to trigger driver license suspension, and mandates that a portion of child support payments after July 1, 2028, flow to families on public assistance. The bill also sets interest accrual on overdue child support starting July 1, 2027, and updates ORS reporting requirements with temporary sunset provisions. These changes aim to clarify support collection processes without appropriating new funds.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

Signed into Law

Mar 2026

Introduced Jan 20, 2026 Signed Mar 17, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

Amended 2/17/2026 13:02:698 → Substitute #1 · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill modifies Utah's family law to improve the collection of spousal and child support by the Office of Recovery Services. Key changes include allowing spousal support to be collected after child support ends, mandating electronic payments for support, and establishing a 6% interest rate on delinquent child support payments starting July 1, 2027. The bill also updates the Office's duties to include specific meetings for feedback and adjusts the threshold for driver license suspension to $35,000 in arrears.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of the Office of Recovery Services to include the collection and enforcement of spousal support in cases where child support has ended, treating these cases similarly to child support cases.

ENFORCEMENT

Allows the Office of Recovery Services to collect and enforce spousal support after a child support case is closed, using the same enforcement tools used for child support.

REQUIREMENT

Requires the Office of Recovery Services to hold biannual meetings for obligors and obligees to gather feedback on procedures and report on actions taken to the Health and Human Services Interim Committee.

Mandates that child support and spousal support payments be distributed to obligees via electronic funds transfer, with limited exceptions for undue hardship.

Updates the driver license suspension threshold to apply when an individual is in arrears of at least $35,000.

TIMELINE

Establishes a 6% interest rate on delinquent child support payments that accrues starting July 1, 2027.

DEFINITION

Adds new definitions for 'Spousal support only case' and clarifies that child support includes spousal support when collected together for a child residing with the recipient.

Amended Excerpts 2/17/2026 13:02:698 → Amended 2/17/2026 13:02:698 · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates the Office of Recovery Services to require biannual meetings for feedback from both obligors and obligees, with a sunset date for this requirement in 2029. It establishes a new process for collecting spousal support after child support ends, mandates electronic payments for support, and introduces a $35,000 arrears threshold for driver's license suspensions effective May 2026. Additionally, it creates a mechanism to allow some child support payments to pass through to families receiving public assistance starting in 2028 and imposes interest on delinquent child support payments beginning in 2027.

Scope change

The bill expands the Office of Recovery Services' authority to collect spousal support independently after child support cases close and modifies enforcement thresholds for driver's license suspensions.

REQUIREMENT

Requires the Office of Recovery Services director to hold biannual meetings for obligor and obligee feedback and submit an annual report to the Health and Human Services Interim Committee, with a sunset date of July 1, 2029.

Mandates that child support and spousal support payments be distributed via electronic funds transfer, with limited exceptions for undue hardship.

SCOPE

Creates a new section allowing the Office of Recovery Services to continue collecting spousal support after child support obligations end, treating spousal support cases similarly to child support cases.

ENFORCEMENT

Establishes a new driver's license suspension threshold of $35,000 in arrears for delinquencies occurring on or after May 6, 2026.

TIMELINE

Mandates that interest accrues on delinquent child support payments at a 6% rate starting July 1, 2027.

ELIGIBILITY

Requires the Office of Recovery Services to distribute up to $100 or $200 of monthly child support payments directly to families receiving public assistance, effective July 1, 2028.

DEFINITION

Updates definitions to clarify terms such as 'spousal support only case' and expands the scope of 'child support' to include certain spousal support obligations.

Enrolled → Amended Excerpts 2/17/2026 13:02:698 · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's family law to strengthen the Office of Recovery Services' ability to collect spousal and child support. Key changes include establishing a new process for collecting spousal support after child support ends, requiring the agency to hold annual feedback meetings with parents, and setting a higher threshold ($35,000) for suspending driver's licenses. The bill also mandates electronic payments for support, introduces interest on delinquent child support payments, and allows families receiving public assistance to keep a portion of their child support payments starting in 2028.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of the Office of Recovery Services to include the collection and enforcement of spousal support cases even after child support obligations have ended, and clarifies the agency's authority over same-sex marriages.

REQUIREMENT

The Office of Recovery Services director must hold two annual meetings for obligors and obligees to gather feedback and submit an annual report to the legislature on how that feedback was addressed.

Child support and spousal support payments must be distributed via electronic funds transfer unless an exception is granted due to undue hardship.

ENFORCEMENT

Driver's license suspension for child support delinquency now requires a minimum arrears amount of $35,000, effective May 6, 2026.

A new mechanism allows the Office of Recovery Services to continue collecting spousal support after child support obligations end, treating spousal support cases similarly to child support cases.

TIMELINE

Interest will begin accruing on delinquent child support payments at a rate of 6% starting July 1, 2027.

ELIGIBILITY

Starting July 1, 2028, families receiving public assistance may retain up to $100 (or $200 for two or more children) of their monthly child support payments.

DEFINITION

New definitions were added to clarify terms like 'spousal support only case' and to explicitly include same-sex marriages in child support enforcement.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 5, 2026 · House Mar 5, 2026

How they voted

24–0

Passed · 5 other

Total votes 29

Mar 5, 2026

D Democratic6

5 Yea 1

83% Yea

N Forward1

1 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican22

18 Yea 4

81% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 17, 2026

Signed into law

Governor Signed

executive

Mar 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling

lower

Mar 5, 2026

Lower · Passed

Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House

lower

Mar 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

House/ concurs with Senate amendment

upper

Mar 5, 2026

Introduced

Senate/ to House with amendments

lower

Mar 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate/ 3nd Reading Calendar to Rules [Senate Rules Committee]

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate/ comm rpt/ amended [Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee]

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation [Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee]

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Introduced

Senate Comm - Amendment Recommendation [Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee]

upper

Feb 13, 2026

Committee

Senate/ to standing committee [Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee]

upper

Feb 12, 2026

Introduced

Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)

upper

Feb 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

House/ passed 3rd reading

upper

Feb 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

House/ comm rpt/ substituted [House Health and Human Services Committee]

lower

Jan 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

House Comm - Favorable Recommendation [House Health and Human Services Committee]

lower

Jan 28, 2026

Committee

House/ to standing committee [House Health and Human Services Committee]

lower

Jan 20, 2026

Introduced

House/ 1st reading (Introduced)

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor