NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — On Wednesday morning, the Tennessee Senate Transportation and Safety committee met to discuss proposed legislation and the governor’s budget presentation.
News 2 is breaking down three different topics discussed.
E-bikes
A Franklin lawmaker is pushing for new safety guidelines surrounding E-bikes.
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A new bill would give local governments more authority to regulate where certain electric bikes can be ridden, especially on greenways and in public parks.
State Sen. Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) said he’s received multiple complaints about E-bikes from law enforcement and officials in his district, specifically involving young riders and safety concerns.
The bill would amend state law to allow cities and counties to ban E-bikes that travel up to 20 miles per hour on specific bike paths, trails, parks or greenways.
If a government passes a resolution or ordinance, it would submit that to the Tennessee Department of Safety, which would then publish a list online of where E-bikes are restricted.
Supporters said it’s about giving communities the flexibility to address safety issues unique to their area.
“It is a wonderful form of transportation, and there’s a lot of them, and people love them, and I’ve got friends that have them and enjoy them. We don’t want to do anything about that,” Johnson said. “The bigger concern is the 10-year-old kid in a neighborhood or on a state highway or city street that the city currently has no authority whatsoever to say you can ride these, but you need to ride them here and wear a helmet, things of that nature.”
During the meeting, lawmakers said head injuries, especially among children, are happening far too often, and they believe this gives cities another tool to improve safety.
The amendment passed.
New Driver Service Centers
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security is looking to add more staff at new driver service centers across the state.
The goal is to improve efficiency and cut down wait times.
State Sen. Bill Powers (R-Clarksville) said he’s heard positive feedback about the new driver service center in Montgomery County, but he also raised concerns about staffing shortages and how they could impact wait times.
According to the department, there are currently 26 vacancies at new driver service centers statewide. Eleven of those positions are pending hire, leaving 15 still to be filled.
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Officials said new staff will be placed at high-volume locations, mostly in urban areas where demand is highest.
State leaders also reported that wait times have dropped significantly, from two to three hours to an average of less than 21 minutes, according to numbers shared during the governor’s budget presentation.
Officials said the goal is to continue lowering wait times statewide.
“Our goal has been to have wait times be at 26 minutes or less, so that’s the goal, to get these centers above those wait times down to at least that. Obviously, we would like to get it as low as possible, but that’s the goal,” Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Assistant Commissioner Russell Shoup said.
The state is looking to add 34 additional staff to driver service centers costing more than $2 million. Lawmakers also discussed funding for 50 additional state trooper positions, an increase of more than $17 million.
The General Assembly still needs to approve any new jobs.
School Safety
On Wednesday, the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security briefed lawmakers on school safety efforts across the state.
Lawmakers asked for an update on a mandated law that places a homeland security special agent in every county.
State officials said their special agents are making a real difference and, in some cases, saving lives.
They take a team approach to school safety, working with law enforcement, school districts, and mental health professionals to identify and respond to threats.
According to the department, 122 positions were approved to ensure a special agent is assigned to every county. In most counties, that means one agent each. Officials said resources are deployed strategically, based on need.
For example, the department said Rutherford County has seen a high volume of school threats, including a recent incident where a gun was recovered.
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State leaders say these agents are stopping threats before they escalate.
“We can tell you that the system we’ve put in place in placing agents for especially school safety issues across the state has defiantly provided benefits and has prevented incidents of mass violence that were on track to probably happen across the state and we know we intercepted those in time and were able to stop those,” Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Jeff Long said.
During the meeting, officials also disclosed there was unused funding from a school resource officer grant. They said some county school boards are not using SRO funding to place law enforcement in schools.
One board member requested a list of the counties that are not participating.
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