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SB1850 • 2026

Children's Services, Dept. of

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

Children Healthcare
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Rose, Carringer
Last action
2026-04-02
Official status
Transmitted to Governor for action.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how the decision-making process for placements will be affected beyond the bedroom requirement.

Children's Services Department Rules for Relative Caregivers

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 relative caregivers do not have to give each child their own bedroom unless there are safety or medical reasons.
  • Applies this rule for both regular placements and kinship foster care programs run by the Department of Children's Services.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Children in foster care who are placed with relatives.
  • Relative caregivers who take in children from foster care.
  • The Department of Children's Services that oversees these placements.

Terms To Know

relative caregiver
A person related to the child by blood, marriage, or adoption who takes care of a child when they are in foster care.
kinship foster care program
A special program where children in foster care are placed with relatives instead of strangers.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a relative caregiver cannot provide a separate bedroom for safety or medical reasons.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect the number of placements with relatives.
  • The bill only changes rules about bedrooms and does not address other aspects of care.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2283

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) must 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 could leave some uncertainty about how this rule will be applied in practice.
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) must 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 uncertainty about how this provision will be applied in practice.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  2. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  3. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  4. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  5. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 91, Nays 0, PNV 0

  6. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0771)

  7. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  8. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  9. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026

  11. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026

  12. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/23/2026

  14. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 3/25/2026

  15. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/18/2026

  16. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee for 3/10/2026

  19. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  21. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  22. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0520)

  23. 2026-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/2/2026

  24. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/24/2026

  26. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee

  27. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  28. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  29. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  30. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  31. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  32. 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 
HOUSE BILL 2283
By Carringer

SENATE BILL 1850
By Rose
SB1850
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.