Haslam hopes to avoid special session drunken driving law
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is hoping to avoid having to call a special legislative session within the next five weeks to avoid losing $60 million in federal road funding.
But the Republican governor says he needs to “reserve the right” to call lawmakers back to Nashville if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration decides to follow through on docking the state 8 percent of its annual road money because of a state new law that runs afoul of underage drinking-and-driving requirements.
Federal guidelines set the maximum allowable blood alcohol content for drivers under the legal drinking age 0.02 percent. The new Tennessee law raises that limit to 0.08 for 18- to 20-year-olds, but also metes out the stronger penalties.
Haslam is holding out hope for a “workaround” until lawmakers return in January.
