Tennessee Cold Beer Ban Proposal Now Creates Drunk Driving Task Force Instead

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The Center Square [By Jon Styf] –

A caption bill that originally would have banned the retail sale of cold beer in Tennessee has been amended to create a task force on impaired driving and boating in Tennessee.

House Bill 2845 is set to be heard in the House State Government Committee on Tuesday.

The 12-member task force will “study current levels of impaired driving in this state and ways to reduce impaired driving, repeat offenders, and underage offenders.”

A report of its findings and legislative recommendations will be due from the group by Dec. 1, 2025.

The bill also creates a requirement law enforcement notify the alcoholic beverage commission within 48 hours of any fatal accident where alcohol was believed to be involved.

The alcohol commission will be required to submit a report by Feb. 15 in odd years that includes statistics on violations, alcohol-related traffic and boating accidents involving death, injury and property loss along with alcohol-related arrests from driving and boating.

House sponsor Ron Gant, R-Piperton, was involved in a fatal 2022 two-car head-on crash where the other vehicle crossed the center line and hit his vehicle, killing the other driving and leading Gant to get flown by helicopter to a Memphis hospital, the Tennessee Journal reported.

Gant pulled back on his initial cold beer ban proposal after backlash in mid-February, writing it was “one of the many ideas discussed and considered by the many stakeholders across our state as potential item to be included in the legislation.”

About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.