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House panel advances bill sharply raising uninsured-motorist fines
Summary
The Finance, Ways and Means Committee advanced HB 1690 April 20, which would raise penalties for uninsured drivers (first failure $25→$500, second $100→$1,000, later violations up to $1,500). Supporters said higher fines deter uninsured driving; some members called the increases large and asked for justification.
The Finance, Ways and Means Committee advanced legislation April 20 that would substantially increase civil penalties for drivers found without insurance under the Tennessee Financial Responsibility Law.
Chairman Hicks of Washington, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure raises the first failure fee from $25 to $500, the second failure fee from $100 to $1,000 and subsequent fees within three years to $1,500. "It increases the the first failure fee from $25 to $500. The second failure fee is from $100 to $1,000. And the uh any fee after that within 3 years of the first failure fee would raise to to $1,500," Hicks said during discussion.
Hicks cited out-of-state comparisons and recent crash data to explain the approach, saying Tennessee ranks poorly on uninsured motorists and that roughly 175,000 accidents occurred in 2025, "35,000 of those... didn't have insurance." He said the bill funds a vehicle-verification upgrade and the fines will be preceded by multiple notices and a 60–90 day window to comply.
Several members raised concerns about the scale of the increases. Leader Camper said, "I just think that's a lot to go from $25 to $500," and asked whether a report or recommendation justified the specific amounts. Leader Lambert, who helped craft earlier iterations of the enforcement system, defended the change as bringing Tennessee in line with original policy goals and other states, saying low fines can create a perverse incentive not to insure.
Representative Love asked whether the committee had evidence from other states that similar increases had reduced uninsured-driver rates; Chairman Hicks replied the sponsor had seen such reductions in those states. Vice Chair Gillespie said higher fines could reduce insurance costs overall in areas with many uninsured drivers.
The committee voted to move HB 1690 to Calendar and Rules by a 19-4 margin with two members present but not voting. The bill record shows the committee approved the measure to advance; final implementation, notice procedures and the specific funding uses for the vehicle-verification fund were discussed as part of the bill's presentation.
HB 1690 now goes to Calendar and Rules for further consideration.
