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HB2014 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39; Title 40 and Title 55, relative to vehicular homicide.

Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Littleton, White
Last action
2026-03-30
Official status
Sponsor(s) Added.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not provide specific details on enforcement or the impact on existing cases.

Vehicular Homicide Penalties

This bill changes how Tennessee punishes people who cause a death while driving drunk and then leave the scene of the accident.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires that anyone convicted of vehicular homicide caused by intoxication, if they also left the scene of the accident, must face at least Range II offender sentencing but can receive up to Range III.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People convicted of vehicular homicide who were driving drunk and left the scene of the accident will face stricter penalties under this law.
  • Law enforcement agencies that enforce traffic laws may see changes in how they handle cases involving vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident.

Terms To Know

Range II offender
A category for sentencing offenders based on their criminal history, indicating a more serious punishment than Range I but less severe than Range III.
Vehicular homicide
Causing someone's death while driving a vehicle, often due to reckless or intoxicated behavior.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the law will be enforced or what happens if someone is convicted of vehicular homicide but did not leave the scene.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect existing cases or whether it will lead to more severe punishments in future incidents.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  2. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  3. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  4. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  5. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  6. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  7. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  8. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 82, Nays 1, PNV 10

  9. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  10. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/30/2026

  11. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026

  12. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  13. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/23/2026

  14. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 3/25/2026

  15. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/18/2026

  16. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 3/18/2026

  17. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  19. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 26, Nays 0, PNV 5

  21. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/11/2026

  22. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/5/2026

  24. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  26. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/24/2026

  27. 2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  28. 2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  29. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  30. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  31. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  32. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  33. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  34. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  35. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  36. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  37. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  38. 2026-01-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  39. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 2138
By White

HOUSE BILL 2014
By Littleton
HB2014
009692
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39;
Title 40 and Title 55, relative to vehicular
homicide.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-213(b)(2), is amended by
adding the following as a new subdivision:
(H) If a person convicted of a violation of subdivision (a)(2) is, as a result of the
same course of conduct, also convicted of a violation of § 55-10-101, then the person
shall be punished for the violation of subdivision (a)(2) as a Range II offender; however,
the sentence imposed upon the person may, if appropriate, be within Range III but in no
case shall the sentence be lower than Range II.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.