The state of Tennessee has passed a bill that would force drunk drivers to pay child support to the minors of the parents that they kill if they are under the influence.
According to reports, House Bill 1834 states that “a person who is convicted of vehicular homicide to pay restitution in the form of child maintenance if their victim was the parent of a minor child.”
It went on to say, “Each child of the victim would receive the restitution until they reach 18 years old and graduate high school.”
Payment amounts will be determined by the financial needs and resources of the particular child or children and their surviving parent or guardian. This also includes if the child is in the custody of the Department of Children’s Services.
In the event that the defendant is in jail and unable to pay child support, they will have up to one year after being released from jail to start paying.
The bill was named the “Ethan, Haile, and Bentley’s Law,” named after the children of Nicholas Galinger, the Tennessee police officer who was killed by drunk driver Janet Hinds in 2019.
Hinds was sentenced to 11 years in prison for the fatal hit-and-run.