SB1266 • 2026

Foster Care

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37; Title 49 and Title 55, relative to department of children's services programs.

Children Education Parental Rights

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Johnson, Lamberth
Last action: 2025-05-08
Official status: Comp. became Pub. Ch. 333
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how additional funding will be allocated beyond FY25-26.

Expanding Foster Care Services and Benefits

This law extends foster care services to young adults up to age 23 if they were under state custody at age 18 or adopted between ages 16 and 18, removes fees for driver's licenses for those in state custody or receiving extended foster care services, and allows private higher education institutions to participate in a liaison program.

What This Bill Does

Extends the period during which young adults can receive foster care services from ages 18-21 to ages 18-23 if they were under state custody at age 18 or adopted between ages 16 and 18.
Requires young adults who did not achieve permanency through adoption or subsidized permanent guardianship to attend court hearings every six months until turning 21.
Allows private higher education institutions to participate in a liaison program without limiting it to public institutions.
Eliminates fees for driver's license issuance, renewal, and reinstatement for individuals under state custody or receiving extended foster care services.

Who It Names or Affects

Young adults who were in state custody at age 18 or adopted between ages 16 and 18.
Higher education institutions, both public and private.
Individuals under 18 years old in the custody of the Department of Children’s Services.

Terms To Know

Permanency: A stable living situation for a child or young adult that is intended to be long-term, such as adoption or guardianship.
Subsidized Permanent Guardianship: An arrangement where the state provides financial support to a guardian who cares for a child in foster care.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how additional funding will be allocated beyond FY25-26.
It is unclear if all higher education institutions will participate in the liaison program.
The effectiveness of extending foster care services to age 23 remains to be seen.

Bill History

2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 333
2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Pub. Ch. 333
2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Governor.
2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Transmitted to Governor for his action.
2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Senate Speaker
2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by H. Speaker
2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.
2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Companion House Bill substituted
2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed Senate, Ayes 32, Nays 0
2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.
2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 4/14/2025
2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee
2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/8/2025
2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee to 4/8/2025
2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/1/2025
2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee to 4/1/2025
2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Received from House, Passed on First Consideration
2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 3/18/2025
2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.
2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed H., Ayes 95, Nays 0, PNV 0
2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/10/2025
2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/6/2025
2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee
2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/4/2025
2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 3/4/2025
2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 2/26/2025
2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee
2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee
2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 2/19/2025
2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee
2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee for 2/11/2025
2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee
2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Ref. to Judiciary Committee
2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees
2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2025-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

EXTENDED FOSTER CARE SERVICES

Present law auth
orizes the
department of children's services
("department") to
exten
d
foster care program services to you
ng adults

18 to 21 to support the
transition from state custody to adulthood
. This bill authorizes the department to, instead, extend services until t
he young adult turns 23.
The extension of foster care services may be provided on a voluntary basis to
(i)
a young adult who was in the custody of the department at the time of the young adult's
18
th
birthday or
(ii)
a young adult who was adopted, or appr
oved for subsidized permanent guardianship, and was
between
16
and
18 at the time of adoption or
such
approval. A young adult
between 18 and 23
who satisfies either criterion may

receive
an
extension of foster care services if the young adult is
any of th
e following
:



Completing secondary education or a program leading to an equivalent credential
.



Enrolled in an institution that provides postsecondary or career or technical education
.



Participating in a program or activity designed to promote employment or remove barriers to employment
.



Employed for at least 80 hours per month
.



Incapable of doing any of the
se
activities due to a medical condition, including a developmental or intellectual condition, which inability is supported by regularly updated information in the young adult's permanency plan. In such a case, the young adult must follow a course of treatment as recommended by the department.

Present law requires an enrolled young adult to attend a court hearing or administrative review every six months. This bill
further
requires
a
young adult
who
did not achieve permanency through adoption or subsidize
d permanent guardianship
to
attend a court hearing or administrative review every six months until
turn
ing
21.

HIGHER EDUCATION LIASONS

Present law requires the department to establish a
foster care youth outreach liaison pilot program at a minimum of five public

higher education institutions
to support youth and young adults in foster care or the extended program
.
However, the pilot program terminated on June 30, 2024.
This bill delete
s the termination date of the pilot program, removes the minimum requirement of five institutions, and provides that participating institutions do not need to be public.

DRIVER LICENSE FEES

Present law prohibits a
person under 18
and
in
the
custody of
the department
from being
charged a fee for issuance, renewal, or reinstatement of a driver license, instruction permit, intermediate driver license, or photo identification card.
This bill prohibits a person from being
charged
such
fee
if
the person
(i)

is under
18 and in the custody of the department of children's services or
(ii) is r
eceiving services under the department
's
extension of foster care program or juvenile justice programs.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HOUSE BILL 103
By Lamberth

SENATE BILL 1266
By Johnson

SB1266
001207
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37;
Title 49 and Title 55, relative to department of
children's services programs.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 37-2-604(d), is amended by
deleting the language "twenty-first" and substituting "twenty-third".
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 37-2-604(c), is amended by
deleting the subsection and substituting:
(c) The extension of foster care services may be provided on a voluntary basis
to a young adult who was in the custody of the department at the time of the young
adult's eighteenth birthday or a young adult who was adopted from, or approved for
subsidized permanent guardianship by, the department and was at least sixteen (16)
years of age but less than eighteen (18) years of age at the time of adoption or
approval for subsidized permanent guardianship. A young adult who satisfies either
criterion may, from eighteen (18) years of age until twenty-three (23) years of age,
receive extension of foster care services if the young adult is:
(1) Completing secondary education or a program leading to an
equivalent credential;
(2) Enrolled in an institution that provides postsecondary or career or
technical education;
(3) Participating in a program or activity designed to promote
employment or remove barriers to employment;
(4) Employed for at least eighty (80) hours per month; or

- 2 - 001207

(5) Incapable of doing any of the activities in subdivisions (c)(1)-(4) due
to a medical condition, including a developmental or intellectual condition, which
inability is supported by regularly updated information in the young adult's
permanency plan. In such a case, the young adult must be in compliance with
a course of treatment as recommended by the department.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 37-2-604(e)(4), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(4) If the young adult did not achieve permanency through adoption or
subsidized permanent guardianship, attend a court hearing or administrative review
every six (6) months until reaching twenty-one (21) years of age.
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-7-179, is amended by deleting
"a minimum of five (5) public institutions" and substituting "participating institutions" and by
deleting "public" wherever it appears and substituting "participating".
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-7-179, is amended by deleting
subsection (d).
SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-50-312, is amended by deleting
subsection (h) and substituting:
(h) A person must not be charged a fee for issuance, renewal, or reinstatement
of a driver license, instruction permit, intermediate driver license, or photo identification
card if the person's application is accompanied by evidence that the person is:
(1) Under eighteen (18) years of age and in the custody of the
department of children's services; or
(2) Receiving services under the department of children's services
extension of foster care program or juvenile justice programs.
SECTION 7. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.