SB1015 • 2026

Foster Care

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 36; Title 37; Title 49 and Title 71, relative to foster care.

Children Education Healthcare Labor

Active

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

Sponsor: Haile, Littleton
Last action: 2025-05-13
Official status: Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify the frequency of distributing educational materials to foster children, but mentions annual review and revision every five years.

Foster Care Rights Act

This bill requires Tennessee's Department of Children's Services to create rules that protect and inform foster children about their rights.

What This Bill Does

Creates a list of basic rights for foster children, such as the right to education, safe living conditions, medical care, and protection from punishment when reporting violations.
Requires the department to train its employees on these rights within 30 days of employment.
Instructs the department to develop educational materials about these rights that are easy for children to understand and distribute them to foster children.

Who It Names or Affects

Foster children in Tennessee
Employees of the Department of Children's Services who work with foster children

Terms To Know

Permanency hearing: A court meeting where decisions are made about a child’s future living situation.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if the department fails to follow these requirements.
It is unclear how the rights will be enforced in practice.
The bill only applies to foster children under the custody of Tennessee's Department of Children's Services or agencies that contract with it.

Amendments

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

HA0274

Amendment 1-0 to HB1359

Plain English: The amendment adds new rights for foster children in Tennessee, including education, appropriate care and treatment, a safe environment, reporting violations without fear of punishment, medical services, and freedom from restrictions on communication with legal representatives.

Foster children will have the right to an age-appropriate education and receive care and treatment in the least restrictive setting possible.
They also have the right to live in a safe environment free from abuse and pests, report violations without fear of retaliation, and receive necessary medical services.
Additionally, foster children are protected against restrictions on their communication with legal representatives.

The amendment text does not specify all details about how these rights will be implemented or enforced.

SA0210

Amendment 1-0 to SB1015

Plain English: The amendment adds new rights for foster children in Tennessee, including education, appropriate care and treatment, a safe environment, protection from retaliation when reporting violations, access to medical services, and freedom from restrictions on communication with legal representatives.

Foster children will have the right to an age-appropriate education and receive care that fits their individual needs.
They will also be guaranteed a safe living environment free from abuse and pests.
Children can report violations of their rights without fear of punishment or retaliation.
Foster children are entitled to medical, dental, vision, and mental health services as recommended by professionals.

The amendment does not specify all the details about how these new rights will be implemented in practice.

Bill History

2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Pub. Ch. 387
2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 387
2025-05-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Governor.
2025-04-23 Tennessee General Assembly
Transmitted to Governor for action.
2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by H. Speaker
2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Senate Speaker
2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Enrolled and ready for signatures
2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed H., Ayes 92, Nays 0, PNV 0
2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0274)
2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Subst. for comp. HB.
2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. SB subst.
2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025
2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/10/2025
2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee
2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to House
2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 31, Nays 0
2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0210)
2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Government Operations Committee for 4/7/2025
2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Government Operations Committee
2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/3/2025
2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/2/2025
2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 4/02/2025
2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0
2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/25/2025
2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2025
2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/26/2025
2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee
2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee for 3/18/2025
2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee
2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Ref. to Judiciary Committee - Government Operations for Review
2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee
2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.
2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 3, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1015, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites this bill to require the department of children's services, t
o the extent not otherwise prohibited by state or federa
l
law
,
to promulgate rules to
implement
the following rights for
any foster child in the custody of the department or an agency that contracts with the department to place children in foster care
:

(1) To go to school and receive an education that fits t
he child's age and individual needs;

(2) To benefit from appropriate care and treatment in the least restrictive setting possible;

(3) To live in a safe, healthy environment free from abuse, neglect, and pests;

(4) To report any violation of personal
rights
listed in (1)
–
(6)
without fear of punishment, interference, coercion, or retaliation;

(5) To receive medical, dental, vision, and mental health services as recommended by an appropriate professional, and to be informed about diagnoses and treat
ment options as is developmentally appropriate; and

(6) To be free from punishment in the form of restrictions on or supervision of contact with any legal representative, including any appointed guardian ad litem, attorney ad litem, or appointed counsel
with whom the foster child has a right to confidential communication.

This amendment also requires the d
epartment
to:

(1)

T
rain all employees of the department who come in contact with foster children regarding
the rights listed in (1)
–
(6); and

(2)
I
n consultation with stakeholders within the foster care system, develop materials to express the rights specified in
(1)
–
(6)
and any other rights the department finds appropriate to children in foster care
.
The materials must be age-appropriate and m
ust clearly articulate the foster child's rights. The department must provide the child with the materials and explain the rights to the child within 30 days of the child entering into the custody of the department and annually as a part of the permanenc
y
hearing.
T
he department must review and, if necessary, revise the materials at least every five years.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HOUSE BILL 1359
By Littleton

SENATE BILL 1015
By Haile

SB1015
003221
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 36;
Title 37; Title 49 and Title 71, relative to foster
care.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 37-2-415(e), is amended by deleting
the language:
All current employees shall receive such training no later than February 1, 2010, and
new employees shall be trained within thirty (30) days from the date of their employment.
and substituting:
New employees must receive such training within thirty (30) days from the date of their
employment.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.