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HB1180 • 2026

Adoption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 18; Title 36 and Title 37, relative to adoption.

Children
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Farmer, Haile
Last action
2025-05-13
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 386
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide details on what happens when courts decide separate petitions are better for the children's interests.

Adoption Simplification Act

This bill allows families adopting multiple children who are siblings and share at least one biological parent to file all adoptions together unless the court decides otherwise, reducing filing fees.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows petitioners seeking to adopt more than one child at once and who are siblings sharing a biological parent to include all children in one adoption petition unless the court orders separate petitions.
  • Requires courts to issue written orders if they decide that separate petitions are better for the children's interests.
  • Reduces filing fees from multiple charges to just one when adopting several related children at once.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Families seeking to adopt more than one child who are siblings and share a biological parent
  • Courts handling adoption cases

Terms To Know

Petitioners
People or organizations that file legal documents asking for something from the court.
Filing fee
Money paid to a court when submitting official paperwork.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill only applies if children being adopted are siblings and share at least one biological parent.
  • It does not specify what happens if the court decides separate petitions are better for the children's interests.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1180

Plain English: This amendment allows parents adopting multiple sibling children at once to file one adoption petition and pay only one filing fee.

  • Parents can now include all sibling children in one adoption petition if they are adopting more than one child together.
  • The court may require separate petitions for siblings only if it is determined to be in the best interest of the children.
  • A single filing fee will cover the costs for a combined adoption petition.
  • It's unclear how this amendment might affect existing cases or non-sibling adoptions.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 386

  2. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 05/05/2025

  3. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 386

  4. 2025-05-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Concurred, Ayes 33, Nays 0 (Amendment 1 - HA0379)

  10. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 4/17/2025

  11. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  12. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 89, Nays 0, PNV 4

  14. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0379)

  15. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  16. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025

  17. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/10/2025

  18. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  19. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/9/2025

  21. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 4/9/2025

  22. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  24. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  25. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 29, Nays 2

  26. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/2/2025

  27. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 4/02/2025

  28. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/27/2025

  29. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/26/2025

  30. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  32. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/18/2025

  33. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee for 3/18/2025

  34. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor withdrawn.

  35. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/18/2025

  36. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee

  37. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  38. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  39. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  40. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  41. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  42. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  43. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

PETITION TO ADOPT MULTIPLE CHILDREN

This bill provides that if petitioners are seeking to adopt more than one child at the same time and the children are siblings who share at least one biological parent, then the petitioners
may include all of the children in one petition to adopt unless the court issues a written order finding that it is in the best interest of the children that separate petitions be filed. The court clerk must only charge one filing fee for a petition for
m
ultiple children.

PETITION TO TERMINATE PARENTAL RIGHTS OF MULTIPLE CHILDREN

This bill provides that if petitioners are seeking to adopt more than one child at the same time and the children are siblings who share at least one biological parent, then th
e petitioners may include all of the children in one petition to terminate parental rights, if filed separately from the adoption petition, unless the court issues a written order finding that it is in the best interest of the children that separate petit
i
ons be filed. The court clerk must only charge one filing fee for a petition for multiple children.

ON APRIL 15, 2025, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 1005 FOR HOUSE BILL 1180, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1005, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT
#1 limits the application of this bill to petitions to adopt and removes the requirement that the siblings must share at least one biological parent in order for the petitioner to include all of the children in one petition for which only one filing fee
w
ill be charged.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1005
By Haile

HOUSE BILL 1180
By Farmer

HB1180
003227
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 18;
Title 36 and Title 37, relative to adoption.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 36-1-116, is amended by designating
subsection (b) as subdivision (b)(1) and adding the following as a new subdivision (b)(2):
(2)
(A) Notwithstanding another law to the contrary, if the petitioners are
seeking to adopt more than one (1) child at the same time and the children are
siblings who share at least one (1) biological parent, then the petitioners may
include all of the children in one (1) petition to adopt unless the court issues a
written order finding that it is in the best interest of the children that separate
petitions be filed.
(B) The clerk of court shall charge only one (1) filing fee for a petition
filed pursuant to subdivision (b)(2)(A).
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 36-1-113(d), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
(5)
(A) Notwithstanding another law to the contrary, if the petitioners are
seeking to adopt more than one (1) child at the same time and the children are
siblings who share at least one (1) biological parent, then the petitioners may
include all of the children in one (1) petition to terminate parental rights, if filed

- 2 - 003227

separately from the adoption petition, unless the court issues a written order
finding that it is in the best interest of the children that separate petitions be filed.
(B) The clerk of court shall charge only one (1) filing fee for a petition
filed pursuant to subdivision (d)(5)(A).
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.