A new law in Texas requires convicted drunk drivers to pay child support if they kill a child’s parent or guardian, according to House Bill 393.

The law, which went into effect Friday, says those convicted of intoxication manslaughter must pay restitution. The offender will be expected to make those payments until the child is 18 or until the child graduates from high school, “whichever is later,” the legislation says.

Intoxication manslaughter is defined by state law as a person operating “a motor vehicle in a public place, operates an aircraft, a watercraft, or an amusement ride, or assembles a mobile amusement ride; and is intoxicated and by reason of that intoxication causes the death of another by accident or mistake.”

  • flipht@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    32
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    Because if you get convicted of murder, you go to jail for a long period of time and never really make much money again, even if you get out.

    Their child support payments would be like 16.53 per month.

      • flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Touché. Maybe to bring it back into the realms of ‘worth keeping’, it could be means-tested (so of you have assets then this stands and you gotta liquefy that wealth, but if you’re essentially unable to pay its recognized as a barrier to rehabilitation?)

        I’m being incredibly naive here, I know…

    • bobman@unilem.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      14
      ·
      1 year ago

      Doesn’t matter. Seize their assets and auction them off. Use the proceeds to fund the reparations.

      • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        Person has a bad day after losing their job or some other real life event like losing their mother. Accidentally runs a red light and kills someone. Officer says they were drunk. Breathilizer says 0.0 and person says they were sober. Poof. They go to prison, and you are now asking someone to go to their house, sieze all their assets and throw their children and spouse out into homelessness because of an accident that involved one of the MANY incidents that occur where people get charged with DUI/DWI without being intoxicated.

        • bobman@unilem.org
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          7
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          I think you’re manufacturing fantastical situations because you want to agree with the crowd.

          Gonna block you now. That was a bunch of gibberish.

          • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            1 year ago

            Go live in your manufactured world that cops are dealing out fair and unbias judgement against citizens. If you need me to show you where it says they are allowed to give you a dui without you failing a breathilizer/ blood test I can