MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Parents of kids who commit crimes in Tennessee will face fines up to $1,000 for each offense after the first one, under a bill that is headed to Gov. Bill Lee for his signature into law.
The Parental Accountability Act , sponsored by Memphis-area Republicans Sen. Brent Taylor and Rep. John Gillespie, passed this week in both chambers.
After a juvenile’s first offense, juvenile court is required to fine their parents for each subsequent crime, according to the bill’s language. If parents can’t afford the fine, they will be able to work it off through community service.
“If I had to pick up trash all day because of something that my child had done and I had to go along the interstate and my friends, loved ones, neighbors saw me picking up trash because of something that my son had done, I think I would pay a little bit more attention,” said Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner.
Taylor has said the fines aren’t meant to be punitive but are meant to encourage parents to pay closer attention to what their children are up to.