Tennessee Senate Bill SB1297

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/25
• Chaptered: 4/28/25
• Passed: 4/28/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-7-112 and Title 55, Chapter 50, relative to licenses.

Summary

SB1297, enacted as Public Chapter 297, updates Tennessee law governing driver licenses and the state’s digital driver license system. The bill makes several terminology changes, replacing references to an “electronic driver license system” and “electronic format/image” with “digital driver license system,” “digital format,” and “digital image.” It also amends election-related identification language to specify a physical Tennessee driver license and clarifies that a digital driver license may not be used to verify identity for voting. The bill expands who may operate without carrying a physical license in one limited circumstance by adding a provision for certain adults demonstrating driving ability under the supervision of a Department of Safety employee. It also revises the Class D license definition to expressly include autocycles, while continuing to exclude commercial vehicles and vehicles requiring special endorsements unless properly endorsed.

Impact

The bill primarily affects Tennessee Code Annotated Title 55, Chapter 50, by modernizing the statutory framework for digital driver licenses and tightening rules around their use, privacy, and administration. It prohibits the department or its contractors from charging a fee to participate in the digital driver license system, limits data retention to no more than three calendar days, restricts disclosure of collected data, and bars the capture or retention of geolocation data. It also limits biometric collection, treats user-provided data as personally identifiable information, and requires suspension or termination of digital license access when the underlying physical license is suspended, revoked, canceled, or when a device is reported lost or stolen. The bill also amends election-related identification provisions in Title 2 to require a physical driver license for voting identification purposes.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill was broadly supported, with the Transportation and Safety Committee recommending passage unanimously, 9-0. The absence of recorded opposition in the provided materials indicates general legislative comfort with the bill’s modernization of driver license law and its privacy protections. The bill ultimately passed and was enacted, further suggesting favorable overall sentiment.

Contention

The main policy tension in the bill concerns the use of digital driver licenses versus physical licenses, especially in contexts where identity verification has heightened legal significance. The bill expressly prohibits use of a digital driver license for voting identification, which reflects concern about election integrity and the need for a physical credential in that setting. Another point of potential concern is privacy: the bill responds to those concerns by restricting biometric and geolocation data collection, limiting retention and disclosure, and preventing private or public entities from requiring digital license use or giving preferential service based on it. No specific opposition is shown in the provided committee materials, but these issues are the most likely areas of debate.