Tennessee House Bill HB1457

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 12/15/25
• Refer: 1/14/26
• Refer: 2/10/26
• Refer: 3/24/26
• Refer: 4/1/26
• Refer: 4/7/26
• Chaptered: 5/4/26
• Passed: 5/4/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55, Chapter 21, relative to pregnancy.

Summary

HB1457 amends Tennessee’s disabled parking placard law to allow temporary placards not only for people with short-term nonambulatory or semi-ambulatory conditions caused by surgery, bone fracture, or similar injuries, but also for a female whose pregnancy has been certified by a physician as high risk. The bill keeps the existing framework for temporary placards, including physician certification, a maximum duration of six months, a $10 fee, and the ability to reissue the placard for another similar period. The measure is limited to Title 55, Chapter 21, which governs parking privileges for persons with disabilities. It does not create a new permanent placard category; instead, it expands eligibility for temporary placards and requires that temporary placards remain visually distinct from permanent placards and display an expiration date. The act takes effect January 1, 2027.

Impact

The bill changes Tennessee Code Annotated section 55-21-103(b)(2) by adding high-risk pregnancy as a qualifying condition for a temporary disabled parking placard. As a result, physicians may certify eligible pregnant individuals for temporary parking accommodations under the same rules that apply to other temporary disabling conditions. The practical effect is to extend parking access benefits to a new group of drivers while leaving the overall placard system, fee structure, and duration limits intact.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have received generally favorable consideration as it moved through the House committees, with strong committee support at each stage and no recorded opposition in the final Finance, Ways, and Means Committee vote. The earlier Transportation Subcommittee vote was more divided, suggesting some initial hesitation or concern, but the measure ultimately advanced with increasing support. No committee transcripts were provided, so the available record shows procedural approval rather than detailed debate.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the expansion of temporary disabled parking eligibility to high-risk pregnancy, which may raise questions about how broadly disability-related parking accommodations should be defined and whether pregnancy-related conditions should be treated similarly to injuries or other temporary impairments. Another likely issue is administrative implementation, including physician certification standards and how to distinguish high-risk pregnancies that qualify from those that do not. The early split vote in the Transportation Subcommittee suggests some members may have had reservations, though the later votes were overwhelmingly positive.