House transportation committee advances bill to require U.S. citizenship or lawful status for Tennessee driver’s licenses

Nashville — The Tennessee House Transportation Committee on March 10 advanced House Bill 1708, a measure that would require verification that new driver’s licenses and license plates are issued only to U.S. citizens or lawful residents and add English-language testing requirements for some applicants. Representative Capley, the bill’s sponsor, told the committee the change is intended to improve public safety and prevent fraud.

Capley said the bill will "ensure that the driver's license issued in Tennessee will only be issued to an American citizen or legal resident of this country," and described provisions that would verify lawful status for new issuances and certain renewals and limit some temporary nonrenewable licenses. He said the committee had worked to narrow temporary-license exceptions — including for places of worship and daycare — and extended an 18-month window for applicants to take the test in English where temporary accommodations apply.

Opponents warned the measure could reduce access to licenses for immigrants and low-income residents and stressed the state is not providing new English-language training tied to the 18-month requirement. Representative Pearson said the bill "does nothing but put another barrier to entry" and argued that removing language supports could make roads less safe by increasing the number of uninsured or unlicensed drivers. Capley and other supporters responded that knowing basic English is important for safety on roadways, citing examples such as digital traffic notices that may be unreadable to non-English speakers.

Several members pressed the sponsor on implementation details. Capley and legal counsel confirmed the bill allows accepted electronic document formats and that the Department of Safety already has authority to pilot electronic licenses; legal staff noted the language could encompass images displayed on cell phones. The sponsor also cited a recent episode of forged documents used to obtain licenses as evidence of fraud the bill seeks to prevent.

After extended questioning and debate, a member moved the previous question to end debate. The committee voted to end debate and then on final passage, where the clerk recorded a 16–3 vote in favor. The bill now proceeds to the Finance Committee for further consideration.

What’s next: HB 1708 was reported out of the Transportation Committee and referred to Finance for fiscal review and additional committee consideration.

Speakers quoted or cited in this account include Representative Capley (bill sponsor), Representative Pearson, Representative Davis, Representative Byrd, Representative Runnels, and Joel Hayes of the Office of Legal Services (legal counsel).