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VOL. 40 | NO. 39 | Friday, September 23, 2016
Feds confirm Tennessee in compliance with zero-tolerance
NASHVILLE (AP) — The National Highway Traffic Administration has confirmed that Tennessee is back in compliance with federal zero-tolerance standards for drunken drivers under the legal drinking age.
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam hastily called a special legislative session last week to repeal a new state law that threatened to cost the state 8 percent, or $60 million, in federal road money.
The repeal of the law means that the state no longer stands to lose the money starting on Oct. 1.
Sponsors of the original legislation said it aimed to give tougher penalties to all drivers over age 18. But the law also sought to set the maximum allowable blood alcohol content at 0.08 percent for those drivers. The federal standard for drivers under age 21 is 0.02 percent.