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The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order at the end of April requiring that drivers of commercial vehicles be properly qualified and also be proficient in English.
During the recently ended legislative session, Tennessee lawmakers failed to pass a bill with similar requirements for those seeking to drive on state roads.
The legislation that two Republican lawmakers sponsored would have required all written driver license testing within the state to be administered in English only.
Currently, the Tennessee Department of Safety offers the exams in several languages including German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, in addition to English.
House Bill 0556 (HB0556) sponsored by Representative Kip Capley (R-Summertown-District 71) did not make it out of the House Transportation Subcommittee with members of the subcommittee voting to defeat it 5 to 3.
Along with Senate Bill 1373 (SB1373), sponsored by Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson-District 11), the legislation would also have prohibited the use of any kind of aid in taking the exam such as a translation dictionary, electronic device, or an interpreter.
While this legislation was killed, the Tennessee General Assembly did pass the Omnibus Illegal Immigration Bill passing during Governor Bill Lee’s special session in February.
The new law makes changes to Tennessee statute with regard to driver licenses and permits.
The Department of Safety issued standard licenses and permits to both United States citizens and lawful permanent residents in the past but the revisions to state law now allow only citizens to hold these licenses.
Beginning in January, 2026, a lawful permanent resident who wishes to renew or reinstate a standard license will have to show proof of United States citizenship or be issued a temporary license.
In addition, temporary licenses and permits are to include a “visually distinctive marker” to distinguish it from licenses issued to United States citizens.
The Omnibus bill creates the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division (CIED) within the Department of Safety.
Governor Bill Lee appointed Ryan Hubbard as the division’s first Chief Immigration Enforcement Officer in April.
Previously, Hubbard was commissioned as a special agent with the Office of Homeland Security in Tennessee and has also served as a United States Border Patrol agent and United States Immigration and Neutralization special agent.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
