A new Texas law will require drunk drivers convicted of intoxication manslaughter to pay child support if a parent or guardian is killed in a car accident.
HB393, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in June, will go into effect Sept. 1, 2023.
Under the new law, a judge will determine the amount that the offender must pay until the child graduates from high school or turns 18 years old.
Additionally. a judge will also consider factors like the child’s financial and educational needs, their psychical and emotional condition, the standard of living the child is accustomed to, the resources and needs of their surviving parent or guardian, and the financial resources of the offender.
Intoxication manslaughter carries a sentence ranging from two to 20 years in Texas.
If someone cannot pay because they are in prison, they must begin payments within a year after they are released and the court will set up a payment plan for money owed.
The new law only applies to an offense committed on or after Sept. 1, 2023.
