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HB1356 • 2026

Vital Records

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 36 and Title 68, relative to records.

Children
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Littleton, Haile
Last action
2025-05-13
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 393
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on the consequences of non-compliance with record-sharing requirements.

Making Adoption Records Available for Foster Care Placements

This law requires certain adoption records to be shared with the Department of Children's Services to help find kinship foster care homes.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires specific adoption and related records to be given to the Department of Children’s Services for finding kinship foster care placements.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The offices that hold adoption records, like health departments and courts.
  • The Department of Children’s Services when they look for kinship foster care homes.

Terms To Know

Kinship Foster Care
A type of foster care where a child is placed with relatives or close family friends instead of strangers.
Adoption Records
Documents that contain information about the adoption process, including details about birth parents and adoptive families.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if these records are not shared as required.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect people's privacy regarding their adoption history.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1356

Plain English: The amendment adds a new provision to allow the Department of Children’s Services to search vital records for kinship foster care placements.

  • Adds a new subdivision (iii) to Tennessee Code Annotated Section 36-1-127(c)(1)(A), allowing the Department of Children's Services to access vital records for finding kinship foster care placements.
  • The amendment text does not specify what types of vital records can be accessed or how they will be used by the Department of Children’s Services.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1116

Plain English: The amendment adds a new provision to allow the Department of Children’s Services to access certain records for finding kinship foster care placements.

  • Adds a new subdivision (iii) to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 36-1-127(c)(1)(A), allowing the Department of Children's Services to search for kinship foster care placements.
  • The exact records and extent of access granted to the Department of Children’s Services are not specified in this amendment text.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 393

  2. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 05/05/2025

  3. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 393

  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. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 93, Nays 0, PNV 0

  12. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0333)

  13. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  14. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  21. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  22. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  23. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  24. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0146)

  25. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/27/2025

  28. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  31. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  32. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  33. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee

  35. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  36. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  37. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  38. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  39. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  40. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  41. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 27, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1116, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, require certain
adoption records, sealed records, sealed adoption records, post-adoption records, o
r any other records or papers for a person relating to the adoption or attempted adoption of a person

in the
possession of the
office of the clerk of the adoption court
;
the offices of the department of health
;
the office of any child-placing agency, wheth
er or not it is chartered or licensed
;
or any other information source,
to
be made available to
t
he department of children's services for the purpose of searching for a kinship foster care placement
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1116
By Haile

HOUSE BILL 1356
By Littleton

HB1356
003335
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 36
and Title 68, relative to records.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-3-312(g), is amended by deleting
the language "within forty-five (45) days of receipt" and substituting "within sixty (60) days of
receipt".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.