Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the House Bill 1706 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Subcommittee advances bill making unlawful immigration status a misdemeanor for CDL holders
Summary
The House Transportation Subcommittee advanced House Bill 1706, which would bar unlawfully present individuals from holding commercial driver's licenses, create a private civil cause of action for victims, require law enforcement to notify immigration authorities, and limit employer liability to direct employers.
The House Transportation Subcommittee on Feb. 17 advanced House Bill 1706 as amended to the full Transportation Committee after sponsor remarks and committee questioning.
The sponsor said the bill is meant to "protect Tennesseans, protect our highways" by making it clear in state code that it is illegal for an unlawfully present person to hold a commercial driver's license and by establishing a class A misdemeanor for violations. He told the committee that, based on a district attorney report, "11,344 illegal aliens committed 21,648 crimes" in 2025 and said roughly 2,920 DUI offenses that year were committed by people he described as "illegals." He also said the measure would require law enforcement to contact ICE or a centralized state immigration enforcement division after engagement and would create a private civil cause of action for Tennesseans injured by such drivers.
Committee members pressed the sponsor on whether the measure addresses actual roadway safety gaps once a driver has met federal CDL standards and on whether empowering private, civil enforcement aligns with conservative principles. One member warned that creating private-enforcement mechanisms risks "outsourcing state power to private actors and inviting litigation." The sponsor replied that the bill aligns state code with federal law and is intended to allow injured Tennesseans to pursue damages when violations have caused harm.
The subcommittee approved an amendment to the bill and voted to send House Bill 1706 to the full Transportation Committee. The clerk recorded the motion as meeting the affirmative with one recorded no vote.
What happens next: HB 1706 will be considered by the full Transportation Committee; the sponsor indicated additional statutory cross-references to tort and insurance code sections (cited in discussion as 29-39-101, -102 and -104).
