A new law could go into effect in Tennessee that would require drunk drivers to pay child support if they kill a parent with children under 18.
The “Ethan, Hailey, and Bentley’s Law,” which is named after three children who lost their parents due to drunk drivers, has now been passed unanimously in the Senate after being passed in the House in February and is now on its way to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk, The New York Times reported. The bill was first introduced by Representative Mark Hall.
“As I promised, I will do what it takes to protect the future of our most valuable resources, our children,” Hall said in a statement. “Tennesseans care for each other and we will do everything in our power to hold people accountable who chose to do harm.”
If the bill is passed into law, drunk drivers will be mandated to pay child support until the child or children turn 18 or graduate from high school. The amount of child support paid depends on the needs of the child, the surviving parent and the standard of living the child is accustomed to.
Hall got the idea for the bill after he was contacted by Cecilia Williams, who lost her son, his fiancée and their youngest child due to a drunk driver. Williams, who lives in Missouri, said she researched the consequences for drunk drivers, which aren’t harsh at all, and came up with the basis for “Bentley’s Law.” Since drunk drivers often get sentenced to serving a few years in prison and even get released early, she thought adding a financial burden would help prevent more people from driving drunk because “one thing people value most in this world is their money.”
“There’s some justice there,” she told the Times. “Families are going to get the compensation that they deserve and should have been able to still have from their parents. We’re all more than willing to raise the children that are left behind, but the problem with that is not everyone is financially stable.”
Williams has been working with 17 states to get this bill passed.