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HB0004 • 2026

Tort Liability and Reform

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 29, relative to governmental tort liability.

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Bulso, Gardenhire
Last action
2025-04-09
Official status
No Action Taken
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about the cost implications for local governments in terms of increased insurance premiums.

Increasing Insurance Limits for Governmental Tort Liability

This bill amends Tennessee law to increase the minimum insurance limits that local governmental entities must purchase to cover their liability under the Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act, effective July 1, 2025.

What This Bill Does

  • Revises the current law by requiring policies or contracts of insurance purchased by a governmental entity to provide increased minimum limits for bodily injury or death and property damage starting from July 1, 2025.
  • Raises the minimum insurance limits for bodily injury or death to $750,000 for one person and $1.5 million for all persons involved in an incident.
  • Increases property damage coverage from $100,000 to $250,000.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local governmental entities that purchase insurance under the Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act.
  • People who file claims against local government entities for bodily injury, death, or property damage.

Terms To Know

Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act
A law that sets rules for when and how people can sue the Tennessee state government for injuries or damages caused by its actions.
Minimum limits
The lowest amount of insurance coverage a policy must provide, as set by law.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This bill only affects local governmental entities and does not apply to the state government or private companies.
  • It is unclear how much this change will cost local governments in terms of increased insurance premiums.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to SB0418

Plain English: The amendment changes the minimum limits for liability insurance coverage in Tennessee starting from July 1, 2025.

  • Increases the minimum limit to $400,000 for injury or death of one person and $850,000 for all persons involved in an accident, effective July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027.
  • Further increases these limits to $500,000 for one person and $1,000,000 for all persons starting from July 1, 2027.
  • The exact impact of the amendment on current insurance policies is not detailed in the provided text.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    No Action Taken

  2. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Failed in Senate Judiciary Committee

  3. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/9/2025

  4. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 4/9/2025

  5. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/8/2025

  6. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/8/2025

  7. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/2/2025

  8. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/2/2025

  9. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/1/2025

  10. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/1/2025

  11. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/2/2025

  12. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 4/02/2025

  13. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/31/2025

  14. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  15. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/26/2025

  16. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 3/26/2025

  17. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/19/2025

  18. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 3/19/2025

  19. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/12/2025

  20. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee

  21. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Civil Justice Subcommittee for 3/5/2025

  22. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Civil Justice Subcommittee to 3/5/2025

  23. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Civil Justice Subcommittee for 2/26/2025

  24. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Civil Justice Subcommittee to 2/26/2025

  25. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  26. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  27. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Civil Justice Subcommittee for 2/12/2025

  28. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Civil Justice Subcommittee

  29. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  30. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  31. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  32. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  33. 2024-11-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law authorizes any governmental
entity to purchase insurance to cover its liability under the "Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act." Every policy or contract of insurance purchased by a governmental entity as authorized by such Act must provide certain minimum limits for bodily
i
njury or death based on when the actions arise. For example, for actions arising on or after July 1, 2007, such policies or contracts must provide minimum limits of not less than $300,000 for bodily injury or death of any one person in any one accident,
o
ccurrence, or act, and not less than $700,000 for bodily injury or death of all persons in any one accident, occurrence, or act, and $100,000 for injury or destruction of property of others in any one accident, occurrence, or act.

For actions arising on
or after July 1, 2025, this bill revises the present law by requiring such policies or contracts of insurance to provide increased minimum limits of not less than $750,000 for bodily injury or death of any one person in any one accident, occurrence, or ac
t
, and not less than $1.5 million for bodily injury or death of all persons in any one accident, occurrence, or act, and $250,000 for injury or destruction of property of others in any one accident, occurrence, or act.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SENATE BILL 418
By Gardenhire

HOUSE BILL 4
By Bulso

HB0004
000119
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 29,
relative to governmental tort liability.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 29-20-403(b), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
(5) Minimum limits of not less than seven hundred fifty thousand dollars
($750,000) for bodily injury or death of any one (1) person in any one (1) accident,
occurrence, or act, and not less than one million five hundred thousand dollars
($1,500,000) for bodily injury or death of all persons in any one (1) accident, occurrence,
or act, and two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) for injury or destruction of
property of others in any one (1) accident, occurrence, or act. This subdivision (b)(5)
shall apply to any action arising on or after July 1, 2025.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.