Both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill on Monday that would make major changes to the state’s laws regarding child safety seats, but the bill may be headed back to committee for some reworking rather than to the governor’s desk for a signature according to one local legislator.
The bill passed by the Tennessee General Assembly will extend the time period that children are in each phase of the progressive child seats.
Currently, state law requires rear-facing car seats until age 1; forward-facing car seats until age 3 and booster seats until age 8. Under the bill passed on Monday, the rules would change to require rear-facing seats until age 2; forward-facing car seats until age 5; and booster seats until children turn 12 or reach a height of 4-foot-9.
The Senate passed the bill on a vote of 32-0, while members of the House of Representatives voted 68-19 in favor of the bill.
State Rep. Timothy Hill, who represents a portion of Carter County and also serves as the House Majority Whip, said he supported the bill because it improves safety for children. However, after the bill passed, Hill said some began to question one portion of the new rules.
“There was a problem with some of the language of the bill,” Hill said, adding the problem centered around the provision that would require booster seats until children turn 12 years of age or grow to a height of 4-foot-9.
“I think it’s fair to say it’s not done yet,” Hill said. “There is still quite a bit of work to be done on it.”
The bill will be brought back up during House and Senate sessions on Thursday morning, Hill said.
“There is a good chance it will get re-referred to the transportation committee,” he said. “Hopefully we will do the right thing on Thursday and send this back to committee.”
If the bill is referred back to the committee it may or not make its way back to the House and Senate floors for debate, Hill said.
“There is no guarantee that it will pass back out of committee or, if it does, that it will be the same,” he said.