Good idea!! What’s the story behind Bentley’s Law??
GentrifriesGuy on
ImBirdzz on
Im with it.
ZeidLovesAI on
This seems fair, can’t wait for them to make it into a partisan political thing.
Eskimo-Jo3 on
Not a bad idea but good luck collecting from someone who’s in prison
dvdher on
That’s a law I can get behind!
Mysterious_Way_374 on
Same with wrongful deaths of cops make the cop pay it out his pension then they’ll think twice on both drunk driving or wrongful death
Aggressive-Sound-641 on
this should not even be controversial. They make people convicted of some crimes pay restitution to the state so why not to children
Pretend-Society6139 on
💯💯💯💯💯💯agree. This should be all around America.
CantConfirmOrDeny on
I *really* like this idea.
SpeechDistinct8793 on
Honestly yeah! Garnish their wages for however long that child or children remains a minor bc their life is irrevocably changed regardless of how long the drunkards prison sentence is.
JMarzz38 on
How do they pay if they’re in jail and not working
FrogOnALogInTheBog on
I mean, yeah. Honestly. An 18 year old idiot might accidentally kill somebody and end up in prison for only a couple years- paying for the next 18 years of a kids life might actually be a great combo.
three_foot_putt on
The idea definitely has merit, but I have doubts about the inherent financial stability of people who commit vehicular homicide while driving drunk.
BirdOrnery6886 on
I like this A LOT
Christoph-Pf on
Insurance companies should be liable for this, It would not only ensure that payments were being made but the cost of insurance to anyone with a DUI would be prohibitive and dissuade drinkers from taking the chance.
I could see the person being responsible for repaying state benefits if they are in prison/not working while the child is under 18.
PointsOfXP on
Killing someone in a drunk driving accident might get you 20 to life but in most cases you’ll get significantly less. Regardless I’m sure murder must be a felony so no job when you get out. Once the kid turns 18 all that CS shit shuts off. This law is a waste of time and the energy would be better spent making a real difference instead of a monthly reminder of the person who killed your parent if they even pay at all
spankleberry on
Now do police officers who kill a parent.
axecalibur on
Something tells me drunk drivers are going to be deadbeat child supporters.
Rad131447 on
Bringing back weregild. There are worse ideas.
WiseCourse7571 on
I had a close call with my father who was hit by a drunk driver when I was still a child, my father was injured in a remote place, his vehicle was left disabled, the drunk driver left the scene.
Thankfully my father cell phone was still working and was able to call for help.
The drunk driver was stopped later for DUI, and they where able to trace it back to my fathers accident. But the guy was rich and basically got in no trouble for it.
DUI laws in the US are a joke.
thepoylanthropist on
The law was sparked by a horrific crash in April 2021 in Byrnes Mill, Missouri. Cecilia Williams’ son, daughter-in-law, and their four-month-old son were killed by a drunk driver. Cecilia was left to raise her two surviving grandsons, Bentley and Mason.
Frustrated that the driver would likely serve prison time but have no long-term financial responsibility for the orphans left behind, she began campaigning for a law that would treat these offenders more like parents who owe child support.
As of early 2026, the law (SB 1135) is still moving through the legislative process, with an effective date targeted for August 28, 2026.
Pizza-Rat-4Train on
Missouri’s largest cities, Kansas City and St. Louis, both require that bars provide parking for their customers. When zoning laws require that we accommodate driving to drink, of course people are going to drink and drive!
People will support anything to stop drunk driving except the one thing that will be effective, which is create viable alternatives to driving everywhere.
SufficientBadger5904 on
Solid idea. The only issue is the dude is most likely in prison and not able to provide child support but I like to where her heart is.
drkuz on
This is how most penalties should occur. Money from the criminal directly to the victims.
-What-Else-Is-There- on
Fuck that. Pay all victims regardless if they have kids or not. I don’t have kids, you can pay my estate. It’ll go to my family who have been wronged.
theLoneliestAardvark on
Aren’t the drunk drivers liable in wrongful death suits which would lead to judgements that pay more than the total child support?
32 Comments
Accountability shouldn’t end at sentencing.
Good idea!! What’s the story behind Bentley’s Law??
Im with it.
This seems fair, can’t wait for them to make it into a partisan political thing.
Not a bad idea but good luck collecting from someone who’s in prison
That’s a law I can get behind!
Same with wrongful deaths of cops make the cop pay it out his pension then they’ll think twice on both drunk driving or wrongful death
this should not even be controversial. They make people convicted of some crimes pay restitution to the state so why not to children
💯💯💯💯💯💯agree. This should be all around America.
I *really* like this idea.
Honestly yeah! Garnish their wages for however long that child or children remains a minor bc their life is irrevocably changed regardless of how long the drunkards prison sentence is.
How do they pay if they’re in jail and not working
I mean, yeah. Honestly. An 18 year old idiot might accidentally kill somebody and end up in prison for only a couple years- paying for the next 18 years of a kids life might actually be a great combo.
The idea definitely has merit, but I have doubts about the inherent financial stability of people who commit vehicular homicide while driving drunk.
I like this A LOT
Insurance companies should be liable for this, It would not only ensure that payments were being made but the cost of insurance to anyone with a DUI would be prohibitive and dissuade drinkers from taking the chance.
Excellent idea.
Source: https://www.live5news.com/2026/02/27/right-thing-do-bill-would-require-drunk-drivers-pay-child-support-after-killing-parent/
I could see the person being responsible for repaying state benefits if they are in prison/not working while the child is under 18.
Killing someone in a drunk driving accident might get you 20 to life but in most cases you’ll get significantly less. Regardless I’m sure murder must be a felony so no job when you get out. Once the kid turns 18 all that CS shit shuts off. This law is a waste of time and the energy would be better spent making a real difference instead of a monthly reminder of the person who killed your parent if they even pay at all
Now do police officers who kill a parent.
Something tells me drunk drivers are going to be deadbeat child supporters.
Bringing back weregild. There are worse ideas.
I had a close call with my father who was hit by a drunk driver when I was still a child, my father was injured in a remote place, his vehicle was left disabled, the drunk driver left the scene.
Thankfully my father cell phone was still working and was able to call for help.
The drunk driver was stopped later for DUI, and they where able to trace it back to my fathers accident. But the guy was rich and basically got in no trouble for it.
DUI laws in the US are a joke.
The law was sparked by a horrific crash in April 2021 in Byrnes Mill, Missouri. Cecilia Williams’ son, daughter-in-law, and their four-month-old son were killed by a drunk driver. Cecilia was left to raise her two surviving grandsons, Bentley and Mason.
Frustrated that the driver would likely serve prison time but have no long-term financial responsibility for the orphans left behind, she began campaigning for a law that would treat these offenders more like parents who owe child support.
As of early 2026, the law (SB 1135) is still moving through the legislative process, with an effective date targeted for August 28, 2026.
Missouri’s largest cities, Kansas City and St. Louis, both require that bars provide parking for their customers. When zoning laws require that we accommodate driving to drink, of course people are going to drink and drive!
People will support anything to stop drunk driving except the one thing that will be effective, which is create viable alternatives to driving everywhere.
Solid idea. The only issue is the dude is most likely in prison and not able to provide child support but I like to where her heart is.
This is how most penalties should occur. Money from the criminal directly to the victims.
Fuck that. Pay all victims regardless if they have kids or not. I don’t have kids, you can pay my estate. It’ll go to my family who have been wronged.
Aren’t the drunk drivers liable in wrongful death suits which would lead to judgements that pay more than the total child support?
This sounds very reasonable and appropriate.