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HB0590 • 2026

Child Custody and Support

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 36 and Title 37, relative to children.

Children
Active

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

Sponsor
Atchley, Massey
Last action
2026-03-30
Official status
Comp. SB subst.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide specific details on the frequency of parent-child visits, only that meaningful opportunities should be considered.

Child Custody Changes

This bill changes how courts decide child custody by focusing on what's best for the child and allowing parents to be involved in their lives.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes how courts make decisions about where children live when their parents are not together, emphasizing the child's best interest.
  • Requires courts to consider whether each parent can have a meaningful opportunity to participate in the child's life.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Parents who have children and are not living together
  • Courts that decide where children live

Terms To Know

Parenting schedule
A plan that says when each parent can spend time with their child.
Child custody determination
When a court decides where a child will live and how parents will share responsibilities for the child.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify exactly how often each parent must see their child.
  • It is unclear what other changes might be made to custody laws in Tennessee.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0590

Plain English: The amendment changes how courts in Tennessee decide child custody by making sure the best interest of the child is always the top priority and adds a new factor to consider when setting parenting schedules.

  • Changes the law so that the court must prioritize the child's best interests above all other factors when deciding on custody arrangements.
  • Adds a new requirement for courts to consider whether each parent has meaningful opportunities to be involved in their child’s life, based on what is best for the child.
  • The amendment does not specify exactly how 'meaningful opportunities' will be defined or measured.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0609

Plain English: The amendment adds a new requirement to consider how often each parent can spend time with their child when making custody decisions.

  • Adds a new subdivision (17) to Tennessee Code Annotated Section 36-6-106(a), which states that the parenting schedule should provide both parents frequent and meaningful opportunities to participate in their child's life, based on what is best for the child.
  • Updates references throughout the code to reflect the addition of new subdivision (17).
  • The amendment does not specify how 'frequent and meaningful' time with a child will be defined or measured.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  2. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  3. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  4. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  5. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Concurred, Ayes 32, Nays 0 (Amendment 1 - HA0756)

  6. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 4/2/2026

  7. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  8. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 91, Nays 0, PNV 0

  9. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0756)

  10. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  11. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026

  12. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026

  13. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  14. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/23/2026

  15. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 3/25/2026

  16. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/18/2026

  17. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee for 3/10/2026

  20. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee to 3/10/2026

  21. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  23. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  24. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0516)

  25. 2026-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/2/2026

  26. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee for 3/3/2026

  27. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee

  28. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  29. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 1

  30. 2026-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  31. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/24/2026

  32. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 2/24/2026

  33. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/17/2026

  34. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  35. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  36. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  37. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  38. 2025-01-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  39. 2025-01-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 2, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 609, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, require the court to consider the extent to which a parenting schedule provides each parent a frequent and meaningful opportunity to participate in the child's life, consistent with the child's best interest, i
n addition to the other relevant factors, when making a child custody determination. This amendment also changes the effective date from effective upon becoming a law to July 1, 2026.

ON MARCH 30, 2026, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 609, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 609, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes the following revisions:



Requires a court, when making a child custody determination, to consider all relevant factors with the best interest of the child always being paramount.



Removes that such meaningful opportunities must be frequent.

ON APRIL 2, 2026, THE SENATE CONCURRED IN HOUSE AMENDMENT #1.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 609
By Massey

HOUSE BILL 590
By Atchley

HB0590
002440
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 36
and Title 37, relative to children.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 36-6-101(a)(3)(B)(i), is amended by
deleting "twice" and substituting "three (3) times".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.