Tennessee House Bill HB0940

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/4/25
• Refer: 2/6/25
• Refer: 3/19/25
• Refer: 4/1/25
• Refer: 4/17/25
• Engrossed: 4/22/25
• Enrolled: 2/25/26
• Passed: 3/6/26
• Chaptered: 3/16/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 69, Chapter 9, relative to personal watercraft.

Summary

HB0940 amends Tennessee law governing personal watercraft, commonly understood to include jet skis and similar vessels. First, it raises the minimum age for operating a personal watercraft from 12 to 16 years old. Second, it creates a new requirement that a person who owns, operates, or allows another person to operate a personal watercraft on Tennessee waters must be able to show proof of financial responsibility, in the amounts specified under the state’s motor vehicle financial responsibility law. The bill is structured to take effect in two stages: the age change becomes effective immediately upon becoming law, while the financial responsibility requirement begins July 1, 2025. In practical terms, the measure would tighten safety and liability rules for personal watercraft use and align those rules more closely with insurance or bonding standards already used in other transportation contexts.

Impact

The bill would amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 69, Chapter 9, Part 5, by changing the minimum operating age for personal watercraft and adding a new statutory duty tied to proof of financial responsibility. It would affect personal watercraft owners, operators, and anyone permitting another person to use such a craft on Tennessee waters, and it would likely require proof of insurance or equivalent coverage consistent with § 55-12-102(12)(D)(i).

Sentiment

The recorded votes suggest generally favorable sentiment toward the bill, with strong majorities in committee and on the floor, though not unanimous. The bill advanced through subcommittee and committee with recommendations for passage, and it ultimately received broad support in floor votes, indicating that lawmakers largely viewed it as a reasonable safety and accountability measure.

Contention

The main points of contention appear to have centered on the policy choice to raise the minimum operating age and to impose a new financial responsibility requirement on personal watercraft users. The committee vote in the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee was closer than later votes, suggesting some concern about the burden on owners or the necessity of the new requirements. Even so, the bill moved forward with amendments and substantial support, indicating that any opposition was limited rather than dominant.