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submitted 1 year ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

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.”

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[-] lukzak@lemmy.ml 292 points 1 year ago

Damn Texas. Sometimes you do manage to do something right.

[-] Bipta@kbin.social 116 points 1 year ago

This just seems like theater. What if you disable the parents such that they can't support their kid? You slip through?

[-] gravalicious@lemmy.world 120 points 1 year ago

It's theater. People go to prison for intoxication manslaughter. How are they making money to pay for child support? What kind of job will they really get after getting out of prison for essentially murder?

[-] radix@lemmy.world 108 points 1 year ago

A cynical person might even say this is an attempt by the state and insurance companies to justify not having any sort of security net for victims' families. If one person can be held financially responsible for the kids, why should anyone else have to step in?

[-] snooggums@kbin.social 54 points 1 year ago

That is exactly what it is, aimed at drunk drivers first because everyone will be on board with that demographic first. Then it will be expanded over time.

[-] radix@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all. -- H.L. Mencken

[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Like how your insurance doesn't work if you get hurt on the job?

[-] BanjoShepard@lemmy.world 44 points 1 year ago

Also, why just drunk driving? Why not you pay child support for murder?

[-] flipht@kbin.social 30 points 1 year ago

Because if you get convicted of murder, you go to jail for a long period of time and never really make much money again, even if you get out.

Their child support payments would be like 16.53 per month.

[-] tsonfeir@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

Then they pay it.

[-] bluGill@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

Murder is not near the problem of driving. Few people murder, but many have accidents.

[-] Pwrupdude@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

If someone is unable to pay the restitution because they’re incarcerated, they’re expected to make payments no “later than the first anniversary of the date,” of their release, the law says.

From the article. So seems like they thought of that too

[-] Thewheeeeeeeeeel@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

So how long do you get for manslaughter in the us? 8 years? So at best the child gets support like 9 years later and only if the person manages to get a good enough job... Maybe the life of a child shouldn't be a lottery but just backed by the state

[-] Bipta@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

Are you replying to the right person?

[-] Fisk400@feddit.nu 11 points 1 year ago

They did something that wasn't evil, just stupid. I guess that is a win for texas. There are already systems to make people pay damages to other people without having the child go trough the indignity of getting child support from a murderer.

[-] bhmnscmm@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

Indignity of receiving child support? Are you kidding?

We're talking about a child/children's parent being killed, and you think it's somehow unjust that they're receiving the smallest amount of financial restitution from the person who killed them. I'd love to hear you explain how this is somehow stupid or insulting to a single parent and the surviving children.

[-] Fisk400@feddit.nu 7 points 1 year ago

All the words in my comment are important and you seem to have cut out a large part of them like some kind of weird ransome note.

I said that damages, that means the same as financial restitution, should be and is payed out in these kinds of cases. There is already a legal framework for that and it doesn't involve child support like the drunk driver is the kids new dad. It is a gross way of looking at it and if it is truly child support like child support is handled then they have suddenly introduced a criminal aspect to a system that doesn't normally interface with the justice system.

[-] bhmnscmm@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

I am not going to oppose anything that gets more support to single parents and children who lose a parent.

Being opposed to this because of what it's called is a ridiculously short sighted view to take. I don't care what this is called, but it is not gross, and it is not stupid.

[-] Fisk400@feddit.nu 3 points 1 year ago

Do you actually read my comments or do you just skim them?

[-] June@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago

Two things in a row it seems. This is weird.

[-] WashedOver@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

Seems like they have come along way since the grousing about the laws in the 80s coming into effect to ban a hard working person from enjoying a couple on the way home from work...

https://youtube.com/shorts/BVk-_xhccK4?si=aMU_vedYJAYnKg0y

Mix this in with the freeway speed limits are 80MPH on the highway in. Texas and often 65 for work zones on the smaller 2 lane highways. One can't even go that fast on the I5 in Oregon with the Max being only 60 mph without construction delays. Can't imagine adding a couple of drinks into the mix on the way home from a 12 hour day...

this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2023
1625 points (100.0% liked)

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