Senate Concedes to House Changes on Booting, Adopts Detailed Customer Protections and Limits on Third‑Party Booters

The Senate concurred in multiple House amendments to Senate Bill 10‑68, a bill addressing towing and booting practices. After amendment, the legislation removes a proposed permanent statewide ban on booting but establishes a tightly limited framework permitting property owners to boot vehicles only under specific conditions and imposing significant customer protections.

Leader Johnson described the adopted House Amendment No. 5 on the floor: the revised text permits owners of commercial parking lots to boot vehicles only if they use their own W‑2 employees, install self‑releasing devices, and post specific signage at every entrance and exit. Third‑party booting companies remain prohibited unless a local government enacts licensing and regulatory ordinances. The amendment also creates a public license registry, a formal complaint process and requires a $250,000 surety bond to cover damages for violations.

Johnson said the changes "address some concerns...particularly in Nashville about predatory booting practices and unauthorized booting," and that the amendments were intended to balance enforcement tools for property owners with protections for consumers.

The Senate recorded concurrence votes on the amendment packages across the message calendar; the final concurrence on Amendment No. 5 was reported in the transcript as 31 ayes, no nays, making the house amendments the final action on the bill for the Senate.

The adopted provisions also included an implementation delay for a motor vehicle portal described elsewhere in the bill: the Department of Revenue's implementation date was extended at the department's request. The transcript does not capture further administrative implementing rules or the House's subsequent steps after the Senate's concurrence.