KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Tennessee

HB0359 • 2026

Driver Licenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39 and Title 55, relative to criminal offenses involving driving.

Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Lamberth, Rose
Last action
2026-04-10
Official status
Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary text does not provide information about penalties before July 1, 2025.

Driver License Penalties

This bill changes penalties for driving without a valid driver license in Tennessee.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the penalty for driving without a valid driver's license to a Class B misdemeanor for first-time offenders.
  • Increases the penalty to a Class A misdemeanor for repeat offenses within ten years of a previous offense.
  • Does not consider convictions older than ten years when determining penalties.
  • Exempts violations related to failing to have a license in immediate possession from these new penalties.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Drivers who violate the law by driving without a valid driver's license.

Terms To Know

Class B misdemeanor
A type of criminal offense that is less serious than a Class A misdemeanor but more serious than a Class C misdemeanor.
Class A misdemeanor
The most severe type of misdemeanor, which is less serious than a felony but more serious than other types of misdemeanors.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify the exact penalties for violations that occur before July 1, 2025.
  • This bill does not apply to violations related to failing to have a license in immediate possession when operating a motor vehicle.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0359

Plain English: The amendment changes Tennessee law to include broken bones as a type of serious bodily injury when considering criminal offenses involving driving.

  • Adds 'broken bone' to the list of conditions that qualify as 'serious bodily injury' under Tennessee law.
  • The exact impact on how broken bones will affect sentencing or other legal consequences for driving-related crimes is not specified in this amendment text.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0375

Plain English: The amendment changes Tennessee law to define 'serious bodily injury' in certain driving-related criminal offenses.

  • Adds a new definition for 'serious bodily injury' that includes injuries such as substantial risk of death, protracted unconsciousness, extreme physical pain, and broken bones.
  • The amendment does not specify which specific driving-related offenses this new definition will apply to.
  • It is unclear how the addition of 'broken bone' as a serious bodily injury might affect existing laws or enforcement practices.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  2. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 27, Nays 5

  3. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0835)

  4. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  5. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  6. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  7. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/9/2026

  8. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 2 PNV 0

  9. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  10. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee to 3/24/2026

  11. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  12. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  13. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  14. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  15. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 85, Nays 5, PNV 0

  16. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0558)

  17. 2026-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 2/23/2026

  18. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 2/19/2026

  19. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  20. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 2/17/2026

  21. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  22. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 2/11/2026

  23. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2025

  24. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/15/2025

  25. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rule #83(8) Suspended, to be heard in Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee on 4/15/2025

  26. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  27. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  28. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Transportation and Safety Committee calendar for 3/19/2025

  29. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  30. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/5/2025

  31. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  32. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  33. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  34. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Transportation Committee for 2/25/2025

  35. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Transportation Committee

  36. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Transportation Subcommittee for 2/18/2025

  37. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Transportation and Safety Committee

  38. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  39. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Transportation Subcommittee

  40. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Transportation Committee

  41. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  42. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  43. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law generally prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle upon a highway in this state unless the person has a valid driver license for the type or class of vehicle being driven. This bill clarifies that a violation of this prohibition gener
ally constitutes a Class B misdemeanor. However, a second or subsequent violation is a Class A misdemeanor.

This bill clarifies that (i) such convictions occurring more than 10 years prior to the immediate violation must not be considered for enhancement purposes; (ii) this bill does not apply to a violation for failure to have a license in one's immediate pos
session when operating a motor vehicle and ready to display to an officer or agent upon request, which is a Class C misdemeanor; and (iii) this bill applies to acts committed on or after July 1, 2025.

ON FEBRUARY 23, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 359, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, define "seriously bodily injury" for the purposes of the present law offense of vehicular assault, which occurs when a person
who, as the proximate result of the person's intoxication, recklessly causes serious bodily injury to another person by the operation of a motor vehicle or vessel subject to registration.

For the purposes of this
offense
,
"
intoxication
"
includes alcohol intoxication, drug intoxication, or both.

This amendment defines "seriously bodily injury," as used above, to mean bodily injury that involves any of the following:



A substantial risk of death.


Protracted unconsciousness.


Extreme physical pain.


Protracted or obvious disfigurement.


Protected loss or substantial impairment of a function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty.


A broken bone.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 375
By Rose

HOUSE BILL 359
By Lamberth

HB0359
002015
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39
and Title 55, relative to criminal offenses involving
driving.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-301, is amended by adding
the following new subsection:
(d)
(1) A violation of subdivision (a)(1) is a Class B misdemeanor.
(2) A second or subsequent violation of subdivision (a)(1) is a Class A
misdemeanor. Convictions occurring more than ten (10) years prior to the
immediate violation shall not be considered for enhancement purposes under this
subdivision (d)(2).
(3) This subsection (d) does not apply to a violation of § 55-50-351.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it, and
applies to acts committed on or after that date.