Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) applauds Governor Bill Lee for signing Ethan’s, Hailey’s and Bentley’s Law in a ceremony last week at the Tennessee Capitol.
The legislation was created by Missouri resident Cecilia Williams and named for her grandson, Bentley, whose parents Lacey Newton and Cordell Shawn Michael Williams and their 4-month-old son, Cordell Shawn Michael Williams II, were killed in an alleged drunk driving crash on April 13, 2021. The Tennessee law, which also honors fallen Chattanooga Police Officer Nicholas Galinger’s children Ethan and Hailey, requires an impaired driver who kills a parent or parents to pay child support for the surviving children until they are 18.