Senate Judiciary panel rejects mandatory parental restitution for third juvenile offenses

Senate Bill 219, which would have made restitution mandatory for parents, guardians or legal custodians after a juvenile's third or subsequent offense, remained in committee after a divided vote.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Trevor Taylor, told the committee the measure would change the Parental Accountability Act passed the prior year by converting the current judge's discretion for third and subsequent juvenile acts into a mandatory requirement. Under the statute described during testimony, a judge may currently order restitution for a second or subsequent act; the proposal would require restitution on a third offense with amounts set in statute: $250 minimum for misdemeanor acts, $500 minimum for felonies, and a $1,000 maximum.

The measure drew testimony from a Vanderbilt Law School clinical professor and a victim's advocate. Cara Souval, a…