AUGUSTA – A pair of proposals by state Sen. Deb Simpson, D-Auburn, aimed at increasing child support collections passed unanimously through the Judiciary Committee on Friday.

One would require businesses that already report new hiring of employees to report the hiring of independent contractors as well if they are paid $2,500 or more.

The other, which calls on slot machine and off-track and commercial track betting operators to withhold winnings of gamblers who owe child support payments, was amended to become a resolve.

The resolve calls for representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services and Maine’s gambling industry to work together and develop legislation that would accomplish Simpson’s goal. The group would present its proposal before the Legislature next year during the short session.

During the public hearing for the proposal to withhold money from gambling winners, Hollywood Slots and Scarborough Downs objected to private citizens becoming responsible for state debt collection.

But a representative of Hollywood Slots said it would be willing to discuss the idea further in the committee setting.

Lottery winners in Maine are already subjected to withholding if they owe child support, and four other states have passed legislation similar to Simpson’s proposal.

Simpson’s bill regarding independent contractors is also modeled after laws in other states, including New Hampshire.

That state collected about $5.3 million more in child support in the year following the law’s 1997 enactment, said Margaret Reinsch, the committee’s legal analyst.

Simpson’s original bill called for reporting new hires, starting with contracts as low as $600, but after some discussion the committee settled on a minimum contract of $2,500, and inserted a more specific definition of who would be affected by the law.

“I don’t want to create a lot of violators unwittingly,” said Sen. David R. Hastings III, R-Fryeburg. “This answers some of my questions.”

Rep. Charles Priest, D-Brunswick, the House committee chair, said he was happy with the compromise.

“It will accomplish a lot,” he said.

The proposals will proceed for consideration by the full Legislature.