Environment
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
StateMissouriEnacted
SB 1135: Creates "Bentley and Mason's Law" relating to child maintenance orders for certain persons convicted of the offense of driving while intoxicated
Mike Henderson
SB 1135 status: Enacted — Signed by Governor (updated Jul 13, 2026).
01
What this bill does
Official summary alongside an AI-generated read on where it stands and why.
Overall Score
63OUT OF 100
Score:63/100 civic fit
Risk:Moderate Risk
Impact:Moderate Impact 45/100
Constitutionality60%
Bipartisan80%
Public opinion90%
Bill summary
SS/SB 1135 - This act establishes "Bentley and Mason's Law". Under this act, if a person is convicted of, pled guilty to, or entered a plea of nolo contendere to the offense of driving while intoxicated or driving with excessive blood alcohol content, such offense caused the death of a parent or guardian, and a surviving parent or guardian files a petition to receive child maintenance from the convicted person, such person shall pay, pursuant to a court order, child maintenance to the child of the deceased parent or guardian in an amount and duration as specified in the act. If the person ordered to pay child maintenance is unable to make maintenance because such person is imprisoned or otherwise confined, then the person shall have up to one year after release from incarceration to begin payment, including any arrearage. If the surviving parent or guardian brings a civil action and obtains a judgment against the person prior to any child maintenance order under this section, no maintenance shall be ordered. If the surviving parent or guardian brings a civil action after maintenance is ordered, the maintenance order shall offset the judgement. If the surviving parent or guardian obtains a payment from any motor vehicle liability insurer relating to the death of the parent or parents, then the maintenance order shall be offset by the amount obtained from the insurer. No funds received from the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund shall result in a reduction of a child maintenance order under this act. This act is substantially similar to provisions in the truly agreed to and finally passed CCS/SS/SB 1421 (2026), the truly agreed to and finally passed SS/SCS/HB 1740 (2026), SB 235 (2025), SCS/HCS/HB 87 (2025), and HB 1958 (2024) and similar to provisions in SB 143 (2025), SB 1375 (2024), a provision in SCS/HCS/HB 2700 (2024), HCS/SS#2/SB 862 (2024), and HB 1954 (2022). SARAH HASKINS
02
Impact analysis
✦ AI analysisModeled effects across six domains, estimated from bill text and comparable legislation.
Economy
Mixed / Neutral
55%
Benefits
- Provides direct financial support for orphaned children
- Increases financial accountability for DWI offenders
- Establishes a structured legal framework for maintenance
Risks
- Likelihood of high uncollectable debt from offenders
- Administrative and legal costs for surviving families
- Financial strain on offenders may increase recidivism
Society
Positive outlook
70%
Benefits
- Mitigates economic hardship for victim families
- Provides a formal mechanism for victim restitution
- Recognizes the long-term impacts of DWI on child welfare
Risks
- Potential psychological toll of extended legal litigation
- Risk of conflict between surviving guardians regarding custody
- Dependency on court resources for implementation
Technology Industry
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Civic Accountability
Positive outlook
65%
Benefits
- Codifies specific judicial authority over maintenance orders
- Improves transparency of legal obligations post-conviction
- Creates a clear pathway for court-ordered victim restitution
Risks
- Places strain on family court docket capacity
- Complexity in tracking compliance during long incarceration
- Risk of inconsistent court rulings across jurisdictions
Public Health & Safety
Positive outlook
60%
Benefits
- Stronger deterrent signal against drunk driving
- Addresses safety through severe post-conviction consequences
- Highlights the severe public health impacts of DWI
Risks
- Does not provide direct intervention for addiction
- Limited immediate effect on existing drunk driving rates
- Remedial financial nature does not prevent initial harm
03
How trustworthy & consequential it is
Sourcing already shown above, this is what the analysis found worth flagging.
Confidence
Medium
Information is useful, with some gaps.
Analysis basis
LegiScan summary
Source used for this bill's analysis.
Source note
LegiScan returned a PDF-only document. PDF extraction is not enabled in this build, so the pipeline used a safer fallback.
Analysis scope
Source provided is a summary and does not contain full statutory language.
04
Where it stands
Official recordSigned by Governor
- IntroducedComplete
- CommitteeComplete
- Chamber votesComplete
- Final agreementComplete
- GovernorComplete
- EnactedComplete
05
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06
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