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House approves bill refusing recognition of out-of-state licenses issued to people without lawful presence
Summary
The House passed HB 7—9, which directs Tennessee not to recognize out-of-state driver's licenses that are explicitly issued to individuals without lawful presence; debate centered on enforcement, constitutional questions and profiling concerns.
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee House approved legislation prohibiting recognition of out-of-state driver's licenses that are marked as issued to individuals without lawful presence in the United States.
Representative Reeves, the bill's sponsor, told the chamber HB 7 49 "prohibits recognition of out of state driver's licenses issued specifically to individuals unlawfully present in The US" and requires the Department of Safety to maintain a public list of such licenses. Reeves said the measure does not change constitutional restrictions on stops and that it applies only to licenses issued exclusively to individuals without lawful presence and that carry a marking to that effect.
Opponents raised enforcement and civil-rights concerns. Representative Behn warned the bill risked creating a new subclass of people subject to surveillance and profiling, and Representative Bain argued the measure would enable racial profiling and administrative chaos for people lawfully driving through Tennessee with licenses issued in other states. Representative Clemens questioned the interstate legal implications and whether the law could harm tourism and commerce. Reeves responded that Florida enacted a similar law in 2023 and that the Department of Safety would provide law enforcement guidance via a public list.
Representative Reeves said the measure does not affect lawfully present immigrants or licenses legitimately issued to legal residents. He noted the bill would not apply to DACA recipients or green-card holders.
After debate and procedural votes, the House adopted the bill on third and final consideration. The clerk recorded the final vote as 68 yeas, 20 nays and 1 present on voting; the presiding officer declared the bill passed.
Sponsors framed the bill as a tool for Tennessee to respond to what they described as the consequences of illegal immigration when other levels of government have not acted; critics said the measure risks due-process and constitutional questions and urged federal immigration reform instead.
