Tennessee 114th General Assembly Status: Enacted 9 R cosponsors

SB 1602 — AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 13 and Title 55, Chapter 10, relative to leaving the scene of an accident.

Last action — Effective date(s) 07/01/2026

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Senate
  4. ✓
    Passed House
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 12, 2026. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Bill Lee (Republican) on April 30, 2026.

Odds of enactment

High chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 82% · moderate confidence

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 9 sponsors

    1 primary, 8 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (9 R).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 4 recorded votes so far.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

The bill amends laws regarding leaving the scene of an accident in Tennessee.

This legislation updates laws related to leaving the scene of an accident in the state. It is known as the 'James Bardsley, Jr. Life Protection Act.'

Summary

Sentencing - As enacted, enacts the "James Bardsley, Jr. Life Protection Act." - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13 and Title 55, Chapter 10.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Filed for introduction

  2. Intro., P1C.

  3. P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  4. Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  5. Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/4/2026

  6. Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/11/2026

  7. Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  8. Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  9. Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  10. Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/25/2026

  11. Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/25/2026

  12. Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee

  13. Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/1/2026

  14. Sponsor change.

  15. Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  16. Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  17. Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  18. Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/8/2026

  19. Placed behind the budget

  20. Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026

  21. Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/15/2026

  22. Rec for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  23. Sponsor(s) Added.

  24. Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/15/2026

  25. Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  26. Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/16/2026

  27. H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/20/2026

  28. Comp. SB subst.

  29. Sponsor(s) Added.

  30. Comp. became Pub. Ch. 1072

  31. Filed for introduction

  32. Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  33. Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  34. Sponsor(s) Added.

  35. Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/16/2026

  36. Reset on Final calendar of Senate Judiciary Committee

  37. Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/23/2026

  38. Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 0

  39. Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/6/2026

  40. Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0821)

  41. Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 33, Nays 0

  42. Sponsor(s) Added.

  43. Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  44. Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  45. Sponsor(s) Added.

  46. Subst. for comp. HB.

  47. H. adopted am. (Amendment 2 - HA1210)

  48. Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0994)

  49. Passed H., as am., Ayes 94, Nays 0, PNV 0

  50. Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 4/22/2026

  51. Concurred, Ayes 29, Nays 0 (Amendment 2 - HA1210)

  52. Sponsor(s) Added.

  53. Enrolled and ready for signatures

  54. Signed by Senate Speaker

  55. Signed by H. Speaker

  56. Transmitted to Governor for action.

  57. Signed by Governor.

  58. Pub. Ch. 1072

  59. Effective date(s) 07/01/2026

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 8 co-sponsors · 124 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (8)

Not signed on (124)

124 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 124 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Subjects

public-safety
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 1602 do?
Sentencing - As enacted, enacts the "James Bardsley, Jr. Life Protection Act." - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13 and Title 55, Chapter 10.
Who sponsors SB 1602?
SB 1602 is sponsored by Hatcher, Tom (Republican), Harshbarger, Bobby (Republican), Bowling, Janice (Republican), Jackson, Ed (Republican), Rose, Paul (Republican), Seal, Jessie (Republican), Gardenhire, Todd (Republican), Reeves, Shane (Republican), and White, Dawn (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 1602?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 12, 2026. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 1602?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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