Tennessee First In Nation To Have Bentley’s Law

Numerous new laws went into effect when we hit January 1st. One of those new laws that is not getting a lot of attention is called Bentley’s Law. That law states that if a defendant is found guilty of vehicular homicide or aggravated vehicular homicide due to driving while intoxicated, and the person killed in that case is the parent of a minor child under the age of 18, Bentley’s Law requires the court to sentence that defendant to pay restitution in the form of child support to each of the victim’s minor children until they reach the age of 18 or graduates from high school. Courts can determine the amount of child support on a case-by-case basis, depending on the circumstances surrounding the child’s living guardians.Tennessee became the first state in the nation to pass this law when the governor signed it back in July. Similar legislation is being considered in 24 other states.

The law is named after Bentley Williams whose parents were killed by a drunk driver in St. Fancois County Missouri on April 13, 2021.