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HB0103 • 2026

Foster Care

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37; Title 49 and Title 55, relative to department of children's services programs.

Children Education Parental Rights
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Lamberth, Johnson
Last action
2025-05-08
Official status
Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and official digest do not provide specific details about the criteria for receiving extended foster care services beyond ages 18-21, such as educational or employment requirements.

Extended Foster Care Services and Other Provisions

This bill extends foster care services for young adults until age 23 if they meet certain criteria and includes provisions related to higher education support and driver license fees.

What This Bill Does

  • Extends the period during which young adults can receive foster care services from ages 18-21 to ages 18-23 if they were in custody of the Department of Children's Services at age 18 or adopted between ages 16 and 18.
  • Requires young adults who did not achieve permanency through adoption or subsidized permanent guardianship to attend court hearings every six months until age 21.
  • Removes the requirement for a minimum number of public higher education institutions to participate in a foster care youth outreach liaison program and allows private institutions to join.
  • Prohibits charging fees for driver licenses, instruction permits, intermediate driver licenses, or photo identification cards for individuals under 18 in custody of the Department of Children's Services or receiving extended foster care services.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Young adults who were in the custody of the Department of Children's Services at age 18 or adopted from it between ages 16 and 18.
  • Higher education institutions that participate in a foster care youth outreach liaison program.
  • Individuals under 18 years old in the custody of the Department of Children's Services.

Terms To Know

Permanency
A stable and permanent living situation for a child, such as adoption or guardianship.
Subsidized Permanent Guardianship
A legal arrangement where the state provides financial support to a guardian who cares for a child in foster care.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how additional funding will be allocated beyond the initial fiscal year.
  • It is unclear if all higher education institutions will participate in the youth outreach liaison program.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  2. 2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 333

  3. 2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 333

  4. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  10. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  11. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  12. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 4/14/2025

  13. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  14. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  15. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/8/2025

  16. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee to 4/8/2025

  17. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/1/2025

  18. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee to 4/1/2025

  19. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  20. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  21. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/18/2025

  22. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 95, Nays 0, PNV 0

  23. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/10/2025

  24. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/6/2025

  25. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  26. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  27. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  28. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 3/4/2025

  29. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/4/2025

  31. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 2/26/2025

  32. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  33. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  34. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 2/19/2025

  35. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  36. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  37. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  38. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  39. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  40. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee for 2/11/2025

  41. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee

  42. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  43. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  44. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  45. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  46. 2025-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

EXTENDED FOSTER CARE SERVICES

Present law auth
orizes the
department of children's services
("department") to
exten
d
foster care program services to you
ng adults

18 to 21 to support the
transition from state custody to adulthood
. This bill authorizes the department to, instead, extend services until t
he young adult turns 23.
The extension of foster care services may be provided on a voluntary basis to
(i)
a young adult who was in the custody of the department at the time of the young adult's
18
th
birthday or
(ii)
a young adult who was adopted, or appr
oved for subsidized permanent guardianship, and was
between
16
and
18 at the time of adoption or
such
approval. A young adult
between 18 and 23
who satisfies either criterion may

receive
an
extension of foster care services if the young adult is
any of th
e following
:



Completing secondary education or a program leading to an equivalent credential
.



Enrolled in an institution that provides postsecondary or career or technical education
.



Participating in a program or activity designed to promote employment or remove barriers to employment
.



Employed for at least 80 hours per month
.



Incapable of doing any of the
se
activities due to a medical condition, including a developmental or intellectual condition, which inability is supported by regularly updated information in the young adult's permanency plan. In such a case, the young adult must follow a course of treatment as recommended by the department.

Present law requires an enrolled young adult to attend a court hearing or administrative review every six months. This bill
further
requires
a
young adult
who
did not achieve permanency through adoption or subsidize
d permanent guardianship
to
attend a court hearing or administrative review every six months until
turn
ing
21.

HIGHER EDUCATION LIASONS

Present law requires the department to establish a
foster care youth outreach liaison pilot program at a minimum of five public

higher education institutions
to support youth and young adults in foster care or the extended program
.
However, the pilot program terminated on June 30, 2024.
This bill delete
s the termination date of the pilot program, removes the minimum requirement of five institutions, and provides that participating institutions do not need to be public.

DRIVER LICENSE FEES

Present law prohibits a
person under 18
and
in
the
custody of
the department
from being
charged a fee for issuance, renewal, or reinstatement of a driver license, instruction permit, intermediate driver license, or photo identification card.
This bill prohibits a person from being
charged
such
fee
if
the person
(i)

is under
18 and in the custody of the department of children's services or
(ii) is r
eceiving services under the department
's
extension of foster care program or juvenile justice programs.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1266
By Johnson

HOUSE BILL 103
By Lamberth

HB0103
001207
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37;
Title 49 and Title 55, relative to department of
children's services programs.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 37-2-604(d), is amended by
deleting the language "twenty-first" and substituting "twenty-third".
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 37-2-604(c), is amended by
deleting the subsection and substituting:
(c) The extension of foster care services may be provided on a voluntary basis
to a young adult who was in the custody of the department at the time of the young
adult's eighteenth birthday or a young adult who was adopted from, or approved for
subsidized permanent guardianship by, the department and was at least sixteen (16)
years of age but less than eighteen (18) years of age at the time of adoption or
approval for subsidized permanent guardianship. A young adult who satisfies either
criterion may, from eighteen (18) years of age until twenty-three (23) years of age,
receive extension of foster care services if the young adult is:
(1) Completing secondary education or a program leading to an
equivalent credential;
(2) Enrolled in an institution that provides postsecondary or career or
technical education;
(3) Participating in a program or activity designed to promote
employment or remove barriers to employment;
(4) Employed for at least eighty (80) hours per month; or

- 2 - 001207

(5) Incapable of doing any of the activities in subdivisions (c)(1)-(4) due
to a medical condition, including a developmental or intellectual condition, which
inability is supported by regularly updated information in the young adult's
permanency plan. In such a case, the young adult must be in compliance with
a course of treatment as recommended by the department.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 37-2-604(e)(4), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(4) If the young adult did not achieve permanency through adoption or
subsidized permanent guardianship, attend a court hearing or administrative review
every six (6) months until reaching twenty-one (21) years of age.
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-7-179, is amended by deleting
"a minimum of five (5) public institutions" and substituting "participating institutions" and by
deleting "public" wherever it appears and substituting "participating".
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-7-179, is amended by deleting
subsection (d).
SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-312, is amended by deleting
subsection (h) and substituting:
(h) A person must not be charged a fee for issuance, renewal, or reinstatement
of a driver license, instruction permit, intermediate driver license, or photo identification
card if the person's application is accompanied by evidence that the person is:
(1) Under eighteen (18) years of age and in the custody of the
department of children's services; or
(2) Receiving services under the department of children's services
extension of foster care program or juvenile justice programs.
SECTION 7. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.