House Bill 1834 would require anyone convicted of vehicular murder to pay child maintenance if the victim was the parent or guardian of a minor child. The victim's children would each receive the restitution up to the time they turn 18 and graduate high school.
These payments are comparable to traditional child support in that a parent pays the primary caretaker of their child up until they turn 18 years old.
The financial resources and financial needs of the child, as well as the guardian or surviving parent, will determine the amount of the payments. If the child is under the care of the Department of Children's Services, the state will also be considered. Similar to traditional child support payments, the child's standard of living will also play a role in determining the amount.
If the defendant is in prison and cannot pay child maintenance, they have one-year from their release to start paying.
Before Wednesday's unanimous passage in the Senate, the bill had been unanimously approved in the state House. Before the bill passed, an amendment was added to rename it "Ethan Haile and Bentley's Law".
According to local reporting, those are Nicholas Galinger's children. Janet Hinds killed Galinger, a 38-year old Tennessee police officer, in a hit-and-run accident in 2019.
