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SB0457 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 13, relative to vehicular offenses.

Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Rose, Gant
Last action
2025-05-15
Official status
Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation incorrectly stated that the bill changes the law with one prior conviction, but it actually requires more than one in some cases. The exact number of prior convictions required is not clearly specified in the provided official source material.

Changing Alcohol Levels for Aggravated Vehicular Offenses

This bill changes the minimum alcohol concentration needed in a person's blood or breath to be convicted of aggravated vehicular assault or homicide from 20% to 15%.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the law so that if someone has more than 15% alcohol in their blood or breath and one prior conviction for driving under the influence, they can be charged with aggravated vehicular assault.
  • Also changes the law so that if someone has more than 15% alcohol in their blood and one prior conviction for certain offenses, they can be charged with aggravated vehicular homicide.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who drive under the influence of alcohol and have prior convictions for similar offenses.
  • Law enforcement officers who will enforce these new laws.
  • Courts that handle cases involving aggravated vehicular assault or homicide.

Terms To Know

Aggravated Vehicular Assault
A serious crime where someone causes injury to another person while driving under the influence of alcohol and has prior convictions for similar offenses.
Aggravated Vehicular Homicide
A serious crime where someone kills another person while driving under the influence of alcohol and has prior convictions for similar offenses.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not change other parts of the law related to regular vehicular assault or homicide.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect the number of cases involving aggravated vehicular offenses.
  • The new rules take effect on July 1, 2025.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  2. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 430

  3. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 430

  4. 2025-05-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-05-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 93, Nays 0, PNV 0

  10. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  11. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  12. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/21/2025

  14. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/17/2025

  15. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  16. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  17. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/17/2025

  19. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  21. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  28. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  29. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 28, Nays 0

  30. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  32. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/20/2025

  33. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  36. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  37. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/11/2025

  38. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/12/2025

  39. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  40. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  41. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  42. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  43. 2025-01-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  44. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  45. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Under present law, a person commits aggravated vehicular assault if the person commits vehicular assault and has two or more prior convictions for driving under the influence of an intoxicant o
r has one or more prior convictions for vehicular assault, vehicular homicide, or aggravated vehicular homicide. Additionally, a person commits aggravated vehicular assault if the person has an alcohol concentration in the person's blood or breath of 20
%
or more at the time of the offense and has one prior conviction for driving under the influence of an intoxicant, or boating under the influence.

Under present law, a person commits aggravated vehicular homicide if the person has two or more prior conv
ictions for driving under the influence of an intoxicant or boating under the influence, vehicular assault, or any combination of such offenses. Additionally, a defendant commits aggravated vehicular homicide when they have one or more prior convictions
f
or the offense of vehicular homicide. Present law also provides if at the time of the offense, there was 20% or more, by weight of alcohol in the defendant's blood and the defendant has one prior conviction for driving under the influence of an intoxican
t
or boating under the influence, or vehicular assault, then the defendant has committed aggravated vehicular homicide.

This bill lowers
from
20%
to
15% the minimum weight of alcohol concentration in the provisions described above that is required to be
convicted of aggravated vehicular assault or aggravated vehicular homicide.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 190
By Gant

SENATE BILL 457
By Rose

SB0457
000404
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
Chapter 13, relative to vehicular offenses.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-115(b)(2)(A), is amended by
deleting "twenty-hundredths of one percent (0.20%)" and substituting "fifteen-hundredths of one
percent (0.15%)".
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-218(a)(3), is amended by
deleting "twenty-hundredths of one percent (0.20%)" and substituting "fifteen-hundredths of one
percent (0.15%)".
SECTION 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.