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.”

  • Overzeetop@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    What I want to know is if they have to keep paying if the kids never graduate. It’s Texas so it seems like the odds are pretty high you could be paying for some dudes kids until they either get shot in a bar or do a lethal fentanyl hit.

      • coehl@programming.dev
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        1 year ago

        Am I misunderstanding “until the child is 18 or graduates high school, whichever is later”?

        Reeeaaally getting some Reddit vibes when the person that seems to have read the synopsis, at least, is getting down voted for it…

      • Overzeetop@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Someone might want to fix the summary. In bold it says 18 or when they graduate from high school *whichever is later *.