Transportation

HB 2507 changes the deadline for metropolitan airport authority presidents to submit their annual operating budget to the board for approval. Instead of submitting at least 60 days before the fiscal year begins, they must now submit it 75 days in advance. This amendment to Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 42, affects airport authorities across the state by providing the governing board with additional time to review budgets before the fiscal year starts. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.

HB 1739 authorizes the Megasite Authority of West Tennessee and local law enforcement agencies to enter written agreements allowing sworn officers to enforce traffic laws on designated private roads within the megasite. The bill requires agreements to include detailed road maps, mandatory traffic signs meeting state standards, and clear entrance notices stating local traffic laws apply. It specifies that these agreements do not make private roads public property, transfer ownership, or create public access rights. The law applies only to roads not already dedicated to public use, with enforcement limited to traffic laws under Title 55 of Tennessee Code. This directly affects the Megasite Authority, participating counties/municipalities, and their law enforcement agencies.

HB 1891 allows Tennessee drivers who pay the fine for a speeding ticket without appearing in court to enroll in an approved online driver education course. If they complete the course within 90 days of their conviction, up to five points will be removed from their driving record. Court clerks must provide online registration for these courses through their websites. This change applies specifically to speeding convictions and takes effect July 1, 2026.

HB 1522 exempts active-duty military service members stationed outside Tennessee (not at a shared military reservation) from paying the additional registration fee for all-electric vehicles when renewing their vehicle registration. To qualify, the service member must provide official stationing orders to the county clerk at the time of renewal and have the vehicle titled in their name (alone or with a spouse/relative). The bill amends Tennessee’s vehicle registration laws (TCA §55-4-116 and §55-6-107) to create this exemption, which takes effect July 1, 2026. It directly affects military personnel stationed out-of-state who own all-electric vehicles registered in Tennessee.

HB 1691 clarifies that joint boards formed by two municipalities and two counties under an interlocal agreement for operating an airport gain all powers, duties, and privileges of a regional airport authority under Tennessee law. This directly affects those specific joint boards, recognizing them as public entities with expanded authority to manage airports. The bill amends state code to vest these boards with the full legal standing of a regional airport authority, including the ability to file a charter with the secretary of state as a nonprofit corporation. It requires governance details (like member terms and composition) to be defined solely in the original interlocal agreement, not in the amended statute.