The legislation has yet to be signed into force
A Tennessee bill requiring a drunk driver to pay child support if they kill a parent during a crash passed unanimously in the state’s Senate.
Tennessee lawmakers passed House Bill 1834 on Wednesday, and is now headed to Governor Bill Lee’s desk for his expected signature, according to News Channel 3 in Memphis, Tenn.
If the victim is a parent, the legislation will require them to pay restitution for vehicular murder due to intoxication.
After a Missouri child whose parents were killed by a drunk driver, the bill became “Bentley’s Law”.
The bill was also amended to include the names of fallen police officer Nicholas Galinger’s children.
According to WSMV-TV, a local NBC affiliate in Nashville, Galinger had been a Chattanooga Police Officer when he was struck by Janet Hinds and killed in February 2019. Hinds was drunk while driving, officials claimed.
The 38-year-old officer was inspecting a manhole cover that had water flowing from it that evening when Hinds hit him with her car and fled, according to the Associated Press. Hinds was convicted earlier this year of the fatal hit-and run and sentenced for 11 years.
According to the bill, the court would determine an amount that is “reasonable and necessary” after considering several factors, including:
If the defendant is incarcerated and unable to pay, they’re given one year after their release to begin payments. The payments would continue until the child turns 18 or graduates high school.
On average, 28 people are killed in drunk-driving crashes every day in the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This is more than 10,000 deaths per year.
