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SB1017 • 2026

Motor Vehicles, Titling and Registration

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55, Chapter 21 and Title 55, Chapter 4, relative to veterans with disabilities.

Active

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

Sponsor
White, Littleton
Last action
2025-04-08
Official status
Effective date(s) 07/01/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date was changed from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2026.

Disabled Veterans' Parking Placard Act

This bill allows eligible disabled veterans to receive a free parking placard instead of a license plate and sets rules for its use.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows disabled veterans who qualify for free license plates to apply for a free distinguishing placard instead.
  • Permits veterans with existing free license plates to get a distinguishing placard upon payment of the regular fee for passenger vehicles.
  • Specifies that the distinguishing placard can be used in place of a license plate for parking purposes when displayed correctly.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Disabled veterans who qualify for free registration and license plates under Tennessee law.

Terms To Know

distinguishing placard
A special sign that disabled veterans can use to park in designated spots instead of using a license plate.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill takes effect on July 1, 2026, not July 1, 2025 as initially planned.
  • It does not specify how many veterans will be affected or the exact cost of the placard.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1350

Plain English: The amendment changes the start date for when certain parts of Senate Bill No. 1017 will begin to take effect.

  • Changes the effective date from an unspecified previous date to July 1, 2026.
  • The amendment does not specify what changes are being made in Senate Bill No. 1017 or why July 1, 2026 is chosen as the effective date.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1017

Plain English: The amendment changes the start date for when certain parts of the bill about motor vehicles will begin to be used.

  • Changes the effective date from an unspecified date to July 1, 2026.
  • The original effective date is not provided in the amendment text, so it's unclear what the previous start date was.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2026

  2. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 73

  3. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 73

  4. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 94, Nays 0, PNV 0

  10. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0063)

  11. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  12. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  13. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  14. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/17/2025

  15. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/13/2025

  17. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  18. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Transportation Committee for 3/11/2025

  21. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2025-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  23. 2025-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  24. 2025-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  25. 2025-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0019)

  26. 2025-02-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  27. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/3/2025

  28. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Transportation and Safety Committee calendar for 2/26/2025

  31. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  32. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Transportation Subcommittee

  33. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Transportation Committee

  34. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  35. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  36. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  37. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law requires the department of revenue to provide and issue, free of charge,
to each disabled veteran in this state, registration and license plates for a motor vehicle that is registered in the name of or leased by a disabled veteran, or by the disabled veteran and the spouse of the disabled veteran, including, but not limited to,
a motor home containing life support equipment as long as the authorized motor vehicle or motor home is not used for rehire or for any other commercial purpose.

This bill authorizes a veteran who qualifies for issuance of a registration and license plat
e as described above to, in lieu of issuance of that plate, apply to be issued free a distinguishing placard for disabled veterans. A veteran who has applied for and been issued a registration and license plate as described above may apply to also be iss
u
ed a distinguishing placard for disabled veterans upon payment of the cost of the placard, which must be the same as the regular fee for passenger motor vehicles.

This bill authorizes the distinguishing placard for disabled veterans issued under this bil
l to be used in lieu of any distinguishing license plate for parking purposes when displayed in accordance with the directions written on or supplied with the placard. The department may establish procedures for the issuance of the disabled veteran placa
r
ds.

ON MARCH 3, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1017, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 extends the effective date of the bill from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2026.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1350
By Littleton

SENATE BILL 1017
By White

SB1017
001764
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55,
Chapter 21 and Title 55, Chapter 4, relative to
veterans with disabilities.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-21-106, is amended by deleting
subsection (h) and substituting instead:
(h)
(1) A veteran who qualifies for issuance of a registration and license
plate issued free to disabled veterans under the authority of § 55-4-256 may, in
lieu of issuance of that plate, apply to be issued free a distinguishing placard for
disabled veterans.
(2) A veteran who has applied for and been issued a registration and
license plate issued free to disabled veterans under the authority of § 55-4-256
may apply to also be issued a distinguishing placard for disabled veterans upon
payment of the cost of the placard, which must be the same as the regular fee for
passenger motor vehicles, as provided in § 55-4-111.
(3) The distinguishing placard for disabled veterans issued under this
subsection (h) may be used in lieu of any distinguishing license plate for parking
purposes when displayed in accordance with the directions written on or supplied
with the placard. The department may establish procedures for the issuance of
the disabled veteran placards.

- 2 - 001764

(i) As used in this section, "certificate" includes registration and license plates
issued free to disabled veterans under the authority of § 55-4-256, and distinguishing
placards issued to disabled veterans under subsection (h).
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.