Internet Explorer 11 is not supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

New Tennessee Drunk Driving Law Endangers Federal Road Funding

When state lawmakers passed a new drunken driving law for people under the drinking age, they didn't realize that the change would make Tennessee the only state to run afoul of federal zero-tolerance standards.

When state lawmakers passed a new drunken driving law for people under the drinking age, they didn't realize that the change would make Tennessee the only state to run afoul of federal zero-tolerance standards.

 
That oversight could carry a hefty penalty: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says Tennessee will lose 8 percent of its federal road funding, or $60 million, if the state is found to be in noncompliance on Oct. 1.
 
That gives Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and fellow Republicans in the state Legislature about five weeks to clean up the mess, even if it means calling a special legislative session the middle of election season to repeal the law altogether.
 
"It's too big of a chunk of change to lose," Haslam said Wednesday.
 
Under federal rules, the maximum allowable blood alcohol content for drivers under 21 is 0.02 percent. The new Tennessee law raised that limit to 0.08 percent for 18- to 20-year-olds, but added tougher penalties for violators. The 0.02 standard remained in place for drivers through age 17.
 
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper of Nashville was the first to make Tennessee's violation of the zero-tolerance rules public late last week, chiding Republicans for the law that he said "must be a mistake."
Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
Special Projects