PRIA Logo™
TennesseeSB 2324114th General Assembly (2025-2026)SenateWALLET

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 36 and Title 37, relative to children.

Sponsored By: Sponsor information unavailable

Signed by Governor

Children

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.

Courts can pause parents’ child support

Beginning July 1, 2026, a court can temporarily pause a current child-support obligation during a dependency-and-neglect case. The child must be alleged to be dependent and neglected and removed from the original custodial parent’s physical custody. A court with original or temporary authority over the case decides whether to grant the pause. The pause is not automatic and lasts only while the case is pending.

Parents can recover or owe legal costs

Beginning July 1, 2026, juvenile courts can order the losing party to pay the winning party’s reasonable legal expenses. These include attorney fees, court costs, and other case expenses. Covered cases involve child custody, visitation, a parent moving with a child, child support, or dependency and neglect. Awards are available at both initial and later hearings, but the court decides whether to grant them and how much. The Department cannot receive an award or be ordered to pay one.

Required parent classes with fee relief

Beginning July 1, 2026, parents must take a class in juvenile-court custody or permanent parenting-schedule cases involving children born to unmarried parents. The duty starts after legal parentage is established, or when a later custody or visitation change is sought; parentage alone does not trigger it. Parents must complete it as soon as practical and before the final order, and file a completion certificate with the court clerk. The class lasts at least four hours, is education rather than therapy, and covers children’s emotional health, court procedures, co-parenting, dispute resolution, and domestic violence. It includes at least one 30-minute video about adverse childhood experiences and related topics; minor children cannot attend. Parents pay the fees, which the court can divide fairly; a parent unable to afford them gets a waiver upon a proper motion or affidavit. Courts can waive attendance for good cause, including significant domestic violence, prolonged absence, inability to participate, or impracticality, and must state their reasons. Willful absence can lead to contempt, and unjustified absence must be considered in custody and visitation decisions, but cannot block a final order. Courts can also order parents, guardians, or custodians to attend in other juvenile cases when attendance is likely to help the child or resolve the case, applying the class rules as far as practical.

Broader factors for parents’ custody plans

Beginning July 1, 2026, the parenting-plan rules refer to all of Tennessee Code §36-6-106(a), not just factors 1–15. This broadens the statutory factors referenced in parenting-plan decisions without creating a payment or benefit. The law also confirms that Chapter 36-8 does not override statutes, court rules, case law, or court orders. That chapter does not limit courts’ power to issue or enforce orders.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsors

There is no primary sponsor on record.

Cosponsors

  • Powers

    Affiliation unavailable

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 108 • No: 26

House vote • 3/30/2026

FLOOR VOTE: REGULAR CALENDAR PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 3/30/2026

Yes: 75 • No: 19

Senate vote • 3/16/2026

FLOOR VOTE: as Amended Third Consideration 3/16/2026

Yes: 26 • No: 5

Senate vote • 3/3/2026

SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

Yes: 7 • No: 2

Actions Timeline

  1. Effective date(s) 07/01/2026

    5/4/2026

  2. Pub. Ch. 730

    5/4/2026

  3. Signed by Governor.

    4/14/2026Senate

  4. Transmitted to Governor for action.

    4/2/2026Senate

  5. Signed by H. Speaker

    4/2/2026House

  6. Signed by Senate Speaker

    4/1/2026Senate

  7. Enrolled and ready for signatures

    4/1/2026Senate

  8. Passed H., Ayes 75, Nays 19, PNV 0

    3/30/2026House

  9. Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0762)

    3/30/2026House

  10. Subst. for comp. HB.

    3/30/2026House

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

    3/19/2026House

  12. Sponsor(s) Added.

    3/16/2026Senate

  13. Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

    3/16/2026Senate

  14. Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 26, Nays 5

    3/16/2026Senate

  15. Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0570)

    3/16/2026Senate

  16. Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/16/2026

    3/13/2026Senate

  17. Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 7, Nays 2 PNV 0

    3/3/2026Senate

  18. Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/3/2026

    2/25/2026Senate

  19. Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

    2/5/2026Senate

  20. Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

    2/2/2026Senate

  21. Filed for introduction

    2/2/2026Senate

Bill Text

Related Bills

Back to State Legislation