Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HB0069 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2		-	SENATE BILL 133
3		-	By Johnson
	2	+	<BillNo> <Sponsor>
4	3
5	4		HOUSE BILL 69
6	5		By Lamberth
7	6
8	7
9	8		HB0069
10	9		001317
11	10		- 1 -
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13	12		AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2;
14	13		Title 4; Title 38; Title 39; Title 41 and Title 55,
15	14		relative to determining voter eligibility.
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17	16		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
18	17		SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, Chapter 2, is amended by creating
19	18		the following as a new part:
20	19		Part 4. Verification of Voter Eligibility
21	20		2-2-401. Verification of eligibility to vote based upon United States citizenship.
22	21		(a) The coordinator of elections, in collaboration with the department of safety,
23	22		shall, prior to January 1, 2028, create a secure, electronic portal through which each
24	23		county administrator of elections may access information to verify, prior to processing an
25	24		applicant's application to register to vote, whether the applicant is a non-United States
26	25		citizen based upon records on file.
27	26		(b) In carrying out subsection (a), the coordinator of elections and department:
28	27		(1) Shall identify the parameters of information of an applicant to register
29	28		to vote that may be submitted and received through the portal by an
30	29		administrator;
31	30		(2) Shall ensure that, upon submission of such information by an
32	31		administrator, the administrator receives accurate and current information
33	32		regarding the citizenship status of the applicant on file with the department
34	33		without undue delay;
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39	38		(3) Shall ensure that the portal has the capacity to respond to a high
40	39		volume of daily submissions of applicant information by administrators across
41	40		this state as specified by the coordinator of elections; and
42	41		(4) May develop a temporary alternative method for the verification of
43	42		citizenship by an administrator in the event that the portal is offline, inaccessible,
44	43		malfunctioning, or undergoing maintenance.
45	44		(c) If a county administrator rejects an application based upon information
46	45		received pursuant to this section, the administrator shall provide written notice to the
47	46		applicant of the applicant's right to appeal the decision in accordance with § 2-2-125.
48	47		2-2-402. Verification of eligibility to vote based upon felony conviction.
49	48		(a) The coordinator of elections, in collaboration with the Tennessee bureau of
50	49		investigation (TBI), shall, prior to January 1, 2028, create a secure, electronic portal
51	50		through which each county administrator of elections may access information to verify,
52	51		prior to processing an applicant's application to register to vote, whether the applicant is
53	52		ineligible to vote based upon records on file as the result of a felony conviction, or
54	53		alternatively, whether an applicant who has been convicted of a felony is eligible to vote
55	54		as the result of expunction.
56	55		(b) In carrying out subsection (a), the coordinator of elections and TBI:
57	56		(1) Shall identify the parameters of information of an applicant to register
58	57		to vote that may be submitted and received through the portal by an
59	58		administrator;
60	59		(2) Shall ensure that, upon submission of such information by an
61	60		administrator, the administrator receives accurate and current information
62	61		regarding the eligibility status of the applicant without undue delay;
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67	66		(3) Shall ensure that the portal has the capacity to respond to a high
68	67		volume of daily submissions of applicant information by administrators across
69	68		this state as specified by the coordinator of elections; and
70	69		(4) May develop a temporary alternative method for the verification of
71	70		eligibility by an administrator in the event that the portal is offline, inaccessible,
72	71		malfunctioning, or undergoing maintenance.
73	72		(c) If a county administrator rejects an application based upon information
74	73		received pursuant to this section, the administrator shall provide written notice to the
75	74		applicant of the applicant's right to appeal the decision in accordance with § 2-2-125.
76	75		2-2-403. Severability.
77	76		If a provision of this part or its application to a person or circumstance is held
78	77		invalid, then the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the part that
79	78		can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to that end, the
80	79		provisions of this part are severable.
81	80		SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-2-125, is amended by deleting
82	81		subsection (b) and substituting instead the following:
83	82		(b) The administrator shall provide written notice to the registrant that the
84	83		registrant has a right to appeal the decision to the commission within ten (10) days from
85	84		the date the notice was sent. The administrator shall include with such notice an appeal
86	85		form.
87	86		SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 2-7-112(c)(1), is amended by adding
88	87		the language "that is not a temporary driver license" immediately after the language "Tennessee
89	88		driver license".
90	89		SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-303(a)(9), is amended by
91	90		deleting the following language:
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96	95		To any person who is not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident of
97	96		the United States.
98	97		and substituting instead the following:
99	98		To any person who is not a United States citizen.
100	99		SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-321(c)(1)(C), is amended by
101	100		deleting the subdivision and substituting instead the following:
102	101		(C) Any applicant applying for a driver license, instruction permit, intermediate
103	102		driver license, or photo identification license, upon initial issuance or reinstatement, shall
104	103		provide either an original or certified copy of documentation that the applicant is a citizen
105	104		of the United States.
106	105		SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-321(i)(1), is amended by
107	106		deleting the subdivision and substituting instead the following:
108	107		(1) Any person presenting a driver license from a state that issues driver
109	108		licenses to illegal aliens for the purposes of obtaining a Tennessee driver license is
110	109		required to establish proof of United States citizenship, or, in the case of a temporary
111	110		driver license, either lawful permanent resident status or a specified period of authorized
112	111		stay in the United States.
113	112		SECTION 7. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-331(g), is amended by
114	113		deleting the subsection and substituting instead the following:
115	114		(1) Notwithstanding another law to the contrary, the department may issue a
116	115		temporary driver license, temporary intermediate driver license, temporary photo
117	116		identification license, or temporary learner permit to lawful permanent residents of the
118	117		United States or to persons whose presence in the United States has been authorized
119	118		by the federal government for a specific purpose and for a specified period of authorized
120	119		stay.
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125	124		(2) The temporary driver license or photo identification license is valid only
126	125		during the period of time of the applicant's authorized stay in the United States or the
127	126		valid period of the applicant's lawful permanent resident card; provided, however, that a
128	127		temporary license or photo identification license must not be issued for a period longer
129	128		than eight (8) years.
130	129		(3) A temporary driver license, temporary photo identification license, or
131	130		temporary permit must include a visually distinctive font or color for the class designation
132	131		on the face of the license to distinguish the temporary license from the license issued to
133	132		United States citizens under § 55-50-303(a)(9) that are used as a photo identification for
134	133		voting purposes.
135	134		(4) A lawful permanent resident who renews or reinstates a driver license,
136	135		permit, or photo identification license on or after January 1, 2026, must provide proof of
137	136		United States citizenship to maintain the driver license, permit, or photo identification
138	137		license. If such proof of citizenship is not provided, then the person must be issued a
139	138		temporary driver license, temporary permit, or temporary photo identification license
140	139		pursuant to this section.
141	140		(5) A person who becomes a United States citizen may provide proof of such
142	141		citizenship to the department at any time to receive a license under § 55-50-303(a)(9).
143	142		SECTION 8. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-102(56), is amended by
144	143		adding the language "except for an individual who is a lawful permanent resident," immediately
145	144		before the language "if there is no definite end".
146	145		SECTION 9. The headings in this act are for reference purposes only and do not
147	146		constitute a part of the law enacted by this act. However, the Tennessee Code Commission is
148	147		requested to include the headings in any compilation or publication containing this act.
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153	152		SECTION 10. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance
154	153		is held invalid, then the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the act that
155	154		can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to that end, the provisions of
156	155		this act are severable.
157	156		SECTION 11. Sections 1, 2, and 9 of this act take effect upon becoming a law, the
158	157		public welfare requiring it. For purposes of promulgating rules and forms and redesigning
159	158		licenses and permits, if applicable, all remaining sections of this act take effect upon becoming a
160	159		law, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, all remaining sections of this act take
161	160		effect January 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.