(Missourinet) – A bill before a Missouri House committee would require anyone convicted of killing someone while driving intoxicated to pay child support to any surviving children. It’s sponsored by Republican State Representative Mike Henderson of St. Francois (Francis) County. The bill is named Bentley and Mason’s Law, after two siblings whose parents were killed by a drunk driver and who are now being raised by their grandmother:
“She has made it her crusade to say we’re going to take care of these kids who are orphaned by people who are careless enough and callous enough to drive drunk and take away parents.”
If it becomes law, the child support payments would begin one year after the person gets out of prison and would last until the orphaned child turns 18. It would also apply to children who lose one, but not both, parents or guardians in a traffic crash caused by an intoxicated driver.
