Two Kansas congressmen are sponsoring a bill to revoke the passports of parents who fall more than $5,000 behind in child support payments.

U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., said he got behind the proposal after hearing from a constituent whose ex-husband – a surgeon – fled to the Dominican Republic without paying $50,000 in court-mandated support.

“I’ve got to believe there’s a problem,” said Moore, who co-sponsored the bill with U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. “This (bill) is something I think most people are not going to have a problem with.”

Moran, in a letter to constituents, added: “Clearly the consequences we have in place are not getting through to some parents.”

Jim Robertson, who oversees child support enforcement for the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, said more than 35,000 Kansans were at least $5,000 behind in their payments. He couldn’t say how many might have fled the country.

At least 45,000 Kansas parents are more than $2,500 behind on payments, he said.

“There’s an awful lot of children who aren’t being supported by at least one parent,” Robertson said. “This (legislation) puts some pressure on individuals who travel abroad, or need to travel abroad for business.”

The proposal comes as state officials also take steps to crack down on delinquent parents.

The Kansas House this week approved Senate Bill 459, which allows the state to deny fishing, hunting and fur-harvesting licenses to applicants who are behind – by an unnamed amount – on support payments. A second bill, which would allow the state to restrict and revoke driver’s licenses, passed the Senate on Thursday.

“There are some new tools that are being proposed to stiffen up the enforcement process,” Robertson said.

The federal bill initially attracted four Republican and four Democratic co-sponsors, Moore said. More supporters are lining up, he said, from both sides of the aisle.

“I hope the leadership will see this isn’t a partisan thing,” he said. “It’s about taking care of kids, ensuring that they get the child support that they’re entitled to.”