HB2283 • 2026

Children's Services, Dept. of

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37, relative to placement of children.

Children Healthcare

Active

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

Sponsor: Carringer, Rose
Last action: 2026-03-30
Official status: Sponsor(s) Added.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on enforcement mechanisms or consequences if safety or medical reasons prevent shared rooms.

Children's Services Act

This bill changes Tennessee laws to allow children in foster care to share rooms with other children when placed with relatives.

What This Bill Does

Changes the law so that the Department of Children’s Services does not require a relative caregiver to give each child their own bedroom unless there are safety or medical reasons.

Who It Names or Affects

Children who are placed in foster care by the Department of Children’s Services
Relative caregivers who take in children from foster care

Terms To Know

relative caregiver: A person related to a child's parent or step-parent, like an aunt, uncle, grandparent, or cousin.
kinship foster care program: A program where children in foster care are placed with relatives instead of strangers.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how the new rules will be enforced.
It is unclear what happens if a relative caregiver cannot provide a separate bedroom for safety or medical reasons.

Amendments

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

HA0771

Amendment 1-0 to HB2283

Plain English: This amendment changes Tennessee laws to allow relatives who take care of children to not have to give those children their own bedrooms unless there are safety or medical reasons that require it.

Courts will no longer require relative caregivers to provide a child with their own bedroom when granting custody or guardianship, except for specific safety or medical reasons.
The Department of Children's Services (DCS) must not mandate that relatives providing kinship foster care give the child their own room unless there are safety or medical concerns.

The amendment does not specify what constitutes 'specific safety or medical reasons'.

SA0520

Amendment 1-0 to SB1850

Plain English: This amendment changes Tennessee laws to allow relatives who take care of children in custody or foster situations to not be required to give each child their own bedroom unless there are specific safety or medical reasons.

Courts will no longer require relative caregivers to provide a separate bedroom for each child they take into custody, except when it is necessary for the safety or health of the children.
The Department of Children's Services (DCS) will not mandate that relatives providing kinship foster care give each child their own room unless there are specific safety or medical reasons.

The amendment does not specify what constitutes 'specific safety or medical reasons' for requiring a separate bedroom, which may leave some ambiguity in how the law is applied.

Bill History

2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Governor.
2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Transmitted to Governor for action.
2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by H. Speaker
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Senate Speaker
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Enrolled and ready for signatures
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. SB subst.
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed H., Ayes 91, Nays 0, PNV 0
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0771)
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Subst. for comp. HB.
2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026
2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/23/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 3/25/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/18/2026
2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee
2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee for 3/10/2026
2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to House
2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 0
2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0520)
2026-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/2/2026
2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0
2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/24/2026
2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee
2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law authorizes the department of children's services ("department") to place children removed from their home in the care of relative caregivers. As used in present law, a "relative caregiver" means a person within a first, second, or third degr
ee of relationship to the parent or step-parent of a child who may be related through blood, marriage, or adoption.

Present law establishes a "Kinship Foster Care Program" in the department. When a child has been removed from the child's home and is in the care, custody, or guardianship of the department, the department must attempt to place the child with a relative
for kinship foster care. The department must establish eligibility standards for becoming a kinship foster parent.

In determining whether placing a child in the custody of a relative caregiver is in the best interest of a child, this bill prohibits the department from requiring a relative caregiver to provide the child with the child's own bedroom, unless there are s
pecific safety or medical reasons that would make placement of the child with another child unsafe.

ON MARCH 2, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1850, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes a technical correction to the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 1850
By Rose

HOUSE BILL 2283
By Carringer
HB2283
010566
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37,
relative to placement of children.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 37-1-166, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(i) In determining whether placing a child in the custody of a relative caregiver,
as defined in § 37-1-186, is in the best interest of a child, the department shall not
require a relative caregiver to provide the child with the child's own bedroom, unless
there are specific safety or medical reasons that would make placement of the child with
another child unsafe.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 37-2-414, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(f) In determining whether placing a child in the custody of a relative for kinship
foster care, is in the best interest of a child, the department shall not require the relative
to provide the child with the child's own bedroom, unless there are specific safety or
medical reasons that would make placement of the child with another child unsafe.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.