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SB2138 • 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
White, Littleton
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Signed by Governor.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date of July 1, 2026, was not mentioned in the candidate explanation and is therefore omitted.

Vehicular Homicide Punishment Changes

This law changes how people who cause a death while driving drunk and then leave the scene of an accident are punished.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the punishment for someone convicted of vehicular homicide if they were also found guilty of leaving the scene of an accident.
  • Requires that such offenders be sentenced as Range II offenders, which means stricter penalties.
  • Allows judges to sentence these offenders within Range III but not lower than Range II.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who are convicted of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident.
  • Judges who decide sentences for these cases.

Terms To Know

Range II offender
A person who receives a stricter punishment because their crime is considered more serious.
Vehicular homicide
When someone's driving causes another person to die, and it's due to the driver being drunk or committing other dangerous acts.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify what happens if a person is convicted of vehicular homicide but did not leave the scene.
  • It only applies to cases where both crimes are committed as part of the same event.

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

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

  7. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  8. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  9. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  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

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  36. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  37. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  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 
HOUSE BILL 2014
By Lafferty

SENATE BILL 2138
By White
SB2138
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.