Drunk killers pay for their victims' children in this US state

Act 1834 was passed last week by the United States House of Representatives and the Tennessee Senate. It states that a drunk driver now has to pay some kind of alimony if he/she kills the parent of a minor child. The amount is determined on the basis of the standard of living to which the child is accustomed and the financial capabilities of the surviving parent or guardian. The payment obligation for the convicted driver applies until the child is 18 years old. Reports about the law do not state what happens if the alcoholic cannot afford it.

What if the convict is locked up and has no money?

Typically American is the name of the new law: Ethan, Haile, and Bentley's Law. Those are the names of the three children of Nicholas Galinger, a 38-year-old cop who was killed by a drunk woman in 2019. The woman fled in her car and was later arrested and sentenced to 11 years in prison. This situation also shows the snags of the new law. Because what if a convict is locked up and has no financial means to pay the alimony? Then he or she must start one year after the release. It is unclear whether the person will then have to pay retroactively.