Every member of Tennessee’s Congressional delegation this week urged U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx to work with Governor Bill Haslam and state officials to find a solution to a problem that threatens Tennessee with the loss of $60 million in urgently needed highway funds.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said this month that a new Tennessee state law passed in April to address impaired underage drivers could put the state out of compliance with federal law and may result in the loss of federal highway funds.
“Based upon our review of both the state and federal laws and the purpose behind both laws, it seems that both the State of Tennessee and the federal government have the same objective of penalizing impaired driving and that the common sense thing to do is to resolve this matter promptly,” the members wrote Secretary Foxx in a letter. “We are available to assist in any way that would be helpful.”
The letter was signed by Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and Representatives Diane Black, Marsha Blackburn, Steve Cohen, Jim Cooper, Scott DesJarlais, John Duncan, Stephen Fincher, Chuck Fleischmann, Phil Roe.
The full text of the letter, sent Tuesday, is below:
August 23, 2016
The Honorable Anthony Foxx
Secretary
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Washington, DC 20590
Dear Secretary Foxx:
We are writing to urge you to work with Governor Bill Haslam and other leaders of Tennessee to resolve an issue that has arisen between our state and the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) that threatens Tennessee with the loss of $60 million in urgently needed highway funds.
Based upon our review of both the state and federal laws and the purpose behind both laws, it seems that both the State of Tennessee and the federal government have the same objective of penalizing impaired driving and that the common sense thing to do is to resolve this matter promptly. We are available to assist in any way that would be helpful.
The issue has arisen because the Tennessee General Assembly passed a new law that went into effect July 1, 2016, regarding underage impaired driving. On Friday, August 19, 2016, our offices were informed that NHTSA had determined that because of this new law, the State of Tennessee may not be in compliance with 23 U.S.C. § 161. John Schroer, Tennessee’s Commissioner of Transportation, has responded to NHTSA with several reasons why the State of Tennessee remains in compliance with 23 U.S.C. § 161, and a copy of Commissioner Schroer’s letter is attached for your review.
The State of Tennessee has made it clear that there was no intent for the new state law to affect compliance with 23 U.S.C. § 161, and any concerns with this new law can be corrected when the Tennessee General Assembly convenes in January 2017.
In the meantime, Tennessee’s existing law already says any person under the age of 21 may not possess or consume any alcoholic beverage (T.C.A. § 1-3-113 and T.C.A. § 57-4-203(b)). Persons who violate these laws may be charged with a misdemeanor, for which the punishment is greater than what the federal law requires pursuant to 23 U.S.C. § 161.
Again, we hope you will work with Tennessee to find a solution that will allow our state to retain desperately needed highway funds. We stand ready to assist you in any way, and we look forward to resolving this matter quickly.