Tennessee House passes law requiring drunk drivers to pay child support if a parent is killed

Tennessee has passed legislation mandating drunk drivers to pay child support if a parent is killed in an accident. Choosing to drive intoxicated behind the wheel of a car has unfortunately resulted in the loss of countless lives all over the world. According to 22 Words, 243 people were killed by drunk drivers in 2018 in the state of Tennessee. Due to this reason, a new law was passed on Monday in the Tennessee House requiring drunk drivers to pay for their reckless decisions. This law is called, "Bentley's Law" and was passed by the house, "under first consideration."

Under Bill Number HB1834, If a driver is convicted of vehicular homicide, they must pay child support to each of the victim's children until the children reach the age of eighteen. People have different opinions on this law, while a Facebook user said, "This should be Federal Law," another commented, "they never want to drink and drive in the 1st place." As reported by KOMO News, offenders will be given a year after their release before they are required to begin paying the victim, who is dealing with the loss of their parent. The law further states that if the amount has not been paid and the child reaches the age of 18, then the offender is still required to pay until the support limit is reached.

After the support limit is paid, they have to live with the fact that due to their reckless decision of drunk driving a child has lost a parent. Cecilia Williams came up with the idea of the Tennessee bill that has recently been enacted. Her 5-year-old grandson, Bentley, lost his family because of a drunk driver, and Williams relayed a discussion between herself and Bentley on Facebook. The law is named after her Grandson. She wrote, "Bentley asked me a strange question a couple of days ago, I was a bit shocked. He asked me if he could see a picture of the guy who killed his family." 

She added, "I told him I don’t think it’s a good idea and that his beautiful eyes don’t need to see ugliness. So he repeated his question, I asked him why, and this is what his little 5-year-old mind came back with." She further stated what the little boy replied, "Because when I grow big I want to remember why I need to be a police officer." Williams does not believe it is appropriate to show the little kid a photograph of the guy who killed his mother, father, and sibling. She is relieved that a bill has finally been approved that will allow the state to hold people accountable for their acts.