Tennessee juveniles found guilty of harassment by bullying or cyberbullying will be stopped from getting behind the wheel for a year, with a few exceptions, under a new law that went into effect Tuesday.
The law was signed in April by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican. If a minor is found guilty of bullying in juvenile court, he or she will lose driving privileges or the ability to apply for a driver’s license for a year.
State Rep. Lowell Russell, a Republican who introduced the measure, told CNN that “most acts of violence and suicides are noted as the result of being bullied. I simply got tired of nothing being done to stop bullying.”
One of the state legislators who voted against the law, Rep. Gloria Johnson, a Democrat, told Knoxville, Tennessee’s WBIR-TV that she wanted an exemption to allow a minor to drive themselves to a medical mental health appointment.
The law currently has exceptions to allow affected minors to still drive themselves to school, work and church. Mr. Russell told Knoxville’s WVLT-TV that another exception for counseling could be in the works.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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