Drunk Drivers In Tennessee May Be Forced To Pay Child Support For Victims

A proposed law in Tennessee could force drunk drivers to pay child support if the child's parent is killed in a wreck.

"Bentley's Law" aims to hold people accountable if they kill a parent while driving under the influence, FOX 17 reports. If the driver is convicted of vehicular homicide, the law, currently known as H.B. 1834, would require the individual to pay child support for each of the victim's minor children until they are 18 years old and graduate high school.

"It will always be a constant reminder to the offender of what the person's actions have done," said Cecilia Williams, who created Bentley's Law in honor of his 5-year-old grandson.

As the bill was introduced, it "requires a sentencing court to order a defendant who has been convicted of vehicular homicide due to intoxication and in which the victim of the offense was the parent of a minor child to pay restitution in the form of child maintenance to each of the victim's children until each child reaches 18 years of age and has graduated from high school."

If a person is incarcerated and unable to pay, they will have one year to begin payments after they are released from prison, the news outlet reports. If a victim's child has not received full restitution by the time they turn 18, the payments will continue until the child is paid in full.

The bill was passed unanimously in the Tennessee House on Monday (February 28).