Senate Transportation committee: hands‑free amendment, EV fee waiver, Nashville resolution and short‑line rail letter

The Senate Transportation and Safety Committee on Thursday handled a clutch of relatively brief items alongside the TDOT budget presentation.

Hands-free law amendment (Senate Bill 15-91): Speaker Pro Tem Hale introduced an amendment that raises the cap on court costs for hands-free violations from $10 to 50% of the routine cost of similar moving violations in the district. The amendment was supported by the Tennessee Municipal Judges Conference and a municipal judge who appeared as a constituent. After a voice vote on the amendment and a roll-call on the bill as amended, the committee recorded nine ayes and sent the measure to Finance Ways and Means.

EV registration fee waiver (Senate Bill 17-38): Sponsor Chairman White said the bill would waive electric vehicle registration fees for active-duty service members stationed outside Tennessee (excluding bases lying partly in Tennessee and partly in another state). The committee moved the bill, recorded unanimous support, and placed it on the calendar with the expectation it will be eligible for consent consideration.

Nashville resolution (Senate Joint Resolution 6-57): The committee approved a resolution that fulfills state requirements for Nashvilleto implement a locally approved sales-tax surcharge for transportation (the "Choose How You Move" program). Sponsor remarks emphasized maintaining state oversight through TDOT and enabling locally funded improvements on state corridors.

Short-line rail committee letter: During the TDOT discussion, Senator Veil moved and the committee voted to send a letter recommending the governor and the Finance Committee include $20,000,000 nonrecurring funds for Tennessee short-line railroads in the FY27 budget. The motion carried on a voice vote.

All votes taken on these items in committee were recorded as favorable or voice-affirmative; no recorded opposition appeared in the hearing record.