On July 1, 2009, a law went into effect that Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen signed on May 13, 2009, banning "Driving While Texting" (DWT). The law makes it a misdemeanor punishable by a $50 fine for someone to drive while sending or receiving text messages or reading other electronic media that has a tendency to distract. But points will not be added to the driver's record, which takes away much of the law's bite.