Official Summary Text
ON APRIL 7, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 A
ND PASSED SENATE BILL 943, AS AMENDED.
AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, make the following revisions to present law:
Requires,
in a child custody order, the court
to
include written findings of fact as to whether the limitations
in present law relative to restrictions in temporary or permanent parenting plans
apply.
Revises, for purposes of a court
taking into account the child's best interest
i
n a suit for annulment, divorce, separate maintenance, or in any other proceeding requiring the court to make a custody determination regarding a minor child
, one of the factors considered by the court from whether
a parent has failed to pay court-ordered child support for a period of three years or more
to, instead, w
hether a parent has failed to pay court-ordered child support
.
Adds, as another factor so considered by a court, whether
a parent has had custody or parenting time reduced or restricted in the past and if so, the reasons custody or parenting time was relinquished
.
Requires, in
a proceeding in which the court has made a finding against a parent under
present law relative to restrictions in temporary or permanent parenting plans
, the court
to
include in the custody order written findings of fact that are the basis of its conclusions in regard to decision-making pursuant to
allocation of parenting responsibilities.
Provides that when
the court orders supervised visitation due to a finding against a parent under
present law relative to restrictions in temporary or permanent parenting plans
or
judicial diversion
, there is a rebuttable presumption that the parent whose parenting time is restricted and supervised must be solely responsible for all fees and costs incurred as a result of the supervised visitation arrangement, and that the non-offending parent must not bear any fee or cost associated with the supervised visitation. The court may order the offending parent to make payment directly to the relevant supervising party or agency as required. The court may review and modify the offending parent's financial responsibility for supervised visitation fees based on changes in circumstances or upon motion by either party, taking into consideration the offending parent's ability to pay.
Clarifies, for purposes of domestic abuse law, that
"
a
buse" includes acts inflicted directly by the offending party or indirectly through a third party, including, but not limited to, a family member, friend, significant other, or coworker, on behalf of the offending party
.
Provides that this amendment applies to
actions filed on or after
July 1, 2025
.
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
SENATE BILL 943
By Massey
HOUSE BILL 1255
By Alexander
HB1255
003148
- 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 36-6-702(a), is amended by deleting
the language "two (2) hours" and substituting instead the language "three (3) hours", and by
deleting the language "ten (10) hours" and substituting instead the language "fifteen (15) hours".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.