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SB0778 • 2026

Driver Licenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55, Chapter 50, relative to driving while privilege cancelled, suspended, or revoked.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Lowe, Travis
Last action
2025-05-27
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 504
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how the law updates Tennessee’s broader laws regarding driving privileges and penalties.

Limiting Points for Driving While License Is Not Valid

This law limits the number of points that can be given to someone who drives while their driving privilege is canceled, suspended, or revoked.

What This Bill Does

  • Limits the number of points that may be assessed on a person's driver record for operating a motor vehicle when their driving privilege is canceled, suspended, or revoked to four points.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Drivers in Tennessee who have a canceled, suspended, or revoked license

Terms To Know

Points
A system used by the state to track traffic violations and determine penalties.
Non-moving violation
A type of traffic citation that does not involve an accident or moving vehicle offense.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law will result in a recurring decrease in revenue to the Driver Services Division of the Department of Safety related to license reinstatement fees, but the exact amount cannot be determined.
  • If the current contract with software vendors is exhausted by this and other legislation, there may be additional costs for updates to the A-List software system.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0816

Plain English: The amendment changes how many points are added to someone's driver record for driving without a valid license in Tennessee.

  • Adds a new subsection (k) to Section 55-50-504 of the Tennessee Code, limiting the number of points that can be assessed on a person's driver record for operating a motor vehicle while their driving privilege is cancelled, suspended, or revoked to no more than four points.
  • The amendment only specifies the maximum points but does not provide details about how these points are calculated or under what circumstances they would be applied.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0778

Plain English: The amendment removes penalty points from driver records for people who drive when their license is canceled, suspended, or revoked.

  • Drivers will no longer receive penalty points on their record if they are caught driving while their license is canceled, suspended, or revoked.
  • The amendment does not specify what other consequences might still apply for driving with a canceled, suspended, or revoked license.
  • It's unclear how this change will affect insurance rates or future licensing decisions.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 504

  2. 2025-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  3. 2025-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 504

  4. 2025-05-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-05-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-04-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  10. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 27, Nays 5

  11. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0056)

  12. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  13. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  14. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/17/2025

  15. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/17/2025

  16. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  17. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 90, Nays 0, PNV 0

  18. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0161)

  19. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/16/2025

  21. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/15/2025

  22. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  23. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/16/2025

  24. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/16/2025

  25. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/15/2025

  26. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025

  28. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  30. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee to Driver's License Calendar

  31. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/8/2025

  32. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/2/2025

  33. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Transportation Committee for 3/25/2025

  36. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  37. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Transportation Subcommittee for 3/18/2025

  38. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  39. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 0

  40. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Taken off notice for cal in s/c Transportation Subcommittee of Transportation Committee

  41. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Transportation and Safety Committee calendar for 3/5/2025

  42. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Transportation Subcommittee for 3/4/2025

  43. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  44. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  45. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Transportation Subcommittee

  46. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Transportation Committee

  47. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  48. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  49. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 16, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 816, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites this bill to limit to four the number of
points
that may
be assessed to a person's driver record for the o
ffense of operating a motor vehicle while the person's driving privilege is canceled, suspended, or revoked.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 816
By Travis

SENATE BILL 778
By Lowe

SB0778
003045
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55,
Chapter 50, relative to driving while privilege
cancelled, suspended, or revoked.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-504(a)(1), is amended by
inserting the following sentence immediately after the language "Class B misdemeanor.":
A traffic citation that is based solely upon a violation of this subdivision (a)(1) is
considered a nonmoving traffic violation.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-504(a)(2), is amended by
inserting the following sentence immediately after the language "Class A misdemeanor.":
A traffic citation that is based solely upon a violation of this subdivision (a)(2) is
considered a nonmoving traffic violation.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.