BILL PROVIDES FOR CHILD SUPPORT IF A DRUNK DRIVER KILLS A
MINOR’S PARENT
Drunken drivers would be required to pay child support if they kill a minor’s parent or guardian if a Central Florida lawmaker gets her way.
Rep. Carolina Amesty, R-Orlando, filed HB 79 on September 26 for the 60-day regular session that convenes in January.
“I’m honored to file this important legislation in the Florida House,” Amesty said in a statement.
There is no Senate companion, but Rep. Sam Killebrew, R-Winter Haven, is a prime co-sponsor.
Dubbed “Bentley’s Law,” the measure is
modeled after a Missouri law and being championed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
“To the victim of the impaired drivers, Bentley’s Law allows for another avenue
of restitution to help ensure justice,” according to a statement on the MADD website.
The measure would authorize a court to order a motorist convicted of drunken
driving in a fatal accident to pay child support to a surviving parent or guardian until the child turns 18. It would also authorize a judge to withhold payments from the perpetrator’s paychecks.
Missouri grandmother Cecelia Williams has been urging states to pass the legislation since her son, his fiancé, and their infant died in a collision caused by a drunken driver.
Learn More: https://thefernandezlawgroup.com/
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