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HB1755 • 2026

DUI Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39; Title 40 and Title 55, Chapter 10, relative to driving under the influence.

Crime Education
Active

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

Sponsor
Rudder, Gardenhire
Last action
2026-04-08
Official status
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify additional details about enforcement costs or requirements beyond mentioning that it applies to acts committed after July 1, 2026.

Driving Under Influence Penalties

This bill changes Tennessee's laws about driving under the influence (DUI) by adding a mandatory minimum jail time of 30 days if someone is caught in a school zone with flashing warning lights.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds a new rule that says people who get caught driving drunk and are near a marked school area with flashing warning lights must spend at least 30 days in jail.
  • Requires courts to add this extra jail time to the sentence for DUI if someone was within a marked school zone with flashing warning lights when they were driving under the influence.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Tennessee.
  • Courts that handle DUI cases in Tennessee.

Terms To Know

DUI
Driving Under Influence, which means driving a vehicle after drinking too much alcohol or using drugs that make it unsafe to drive.
Marked school zone
An area around a school where special rules apply for drivers, often marked with signs and lines on the road.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill only applies to acts committed after July 1, 2026.
  • It does not specify how much money will be needed or provided by the state to enforce these new rules.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  2. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  3. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  4. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 28, Nays 4

  5. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026

  6. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/9/2026

  7. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  8. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/1/2026

  10. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  11. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  12. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  13. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/25/2026

  14. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  15. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/24/2026

  16. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/25/2026

  17. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/25/2026

  18. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/23/2026

  19. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  20. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  21. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  22. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/11/2026

  23. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/4/2026

  24. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  25. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  26. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  27. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  28. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  29. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  30. 2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  31. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law provides that i
t is unlawful for any person to drive or to be in physical control of any automobile or other motor driven vehicle on any of the public roads and highways of the state, or on any streets or alleys, or while on the premises of any shopping center, trailer
park, or apartment house complex, or any other premises that is generally frequented by the public at large, while
any of the following conditions exist:



Under the influence of any intoxicant, marijuana, controlled substance, controlled substance analogue, drug, substance affecting the central nervous system, or combination thereof that impairs the driver's ability to safely operate a motor vehicle by depriving the driver of the clearness of mind and control of oneself that the driver would otherwise possess
.


The alcohol concentration in the person's blood or breath is 0.08% or more
.


With a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04% or more and the vehicle is a commercial motor vehicle.

Present law provides that

i
f a person is
so
convicted, and at the time of the offense, the person was accompanied by a child under 18,
then
the person's sentence
is
enhanced by a mandatory minimum period of incarceration of 30 days.
For acts committed on or after the effective date of this bill, this bill also requires t
he court
to
enhance a person's sentence by a mandatory minimum period of incarceration of 30 days if a person is
so
convicted, and at the time of the offense the person was
w
ithin a marked
school zone and a warning flasher or flashers were in operation.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SENATE BILL 1658
By Gardenhire

HOUSE BILL 1755
By Rudder
HB1755
009344
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39;
Title 40 and Title 55, Chapter 10, relative to driving
under the influence.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-10-402, is amended by deleting
subdivision (b)(1) and substituting:
(1)
(A) The court shall enhance a person's sentence by a mandatory
minimum period of incarceration of thirty (30) days if a person is convicted of a
violation of § 55-10-401, and at the time of the offense the person was:
(i) Accompanied by a child under eighteen (18) years of age; or
(ii) Within a marked school zone and a warning flasher or flashers
were in operation.
(B) The incarceration enhancement in this subdivision (b)(1) must be
served in addition to any period of incarceration received for the violation of § 55-
10-401.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it, and
applies to acts committed on or after that date.