Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Tennessee General Assembly, fetched 2026-09-25. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. This is the chaptered version. The official bill page.
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- PUBLIC CHAPTER NO. 387
SENATE BILL NO. 1015
By Haile, Rose
Substituted for: House Bill No. 1359
By Littleton, Hardaway, Powell, Farmer, Clemmons, Camper, Lynn, Bricken
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, Title 37, Chapter 2, Part 4, is amended by adding
the following new section:
(a) To the extent not otherwise prohibited by state or federal statute, the department
shall, through promulgation of rules in accordance with the Uniform Administrative
Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, implement each of the following tenets. With
respect to any foster child in the custody of the department of children's services or an
agency that contracts with the department to place children in foster care, pursuant to this
part, a foster child shall have the right:
(1) To go to school and receive an education that fits the 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 specified in this section 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 treatment 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.
(b) The department shall train all employees of the department who come in contact
with foster children regarding this section. All current employees shall receive such training
no later than February 1, 2026, and new employees shall be trained within thirty (30) days
from the date of their employment.
(c)(1) The department must, in consultation with stakeholders within the foster care
system, develop materials to express the rights specified in this section and any other
rights the department finds appropriate to children in foster care. The stakeholders
must include foster care alumni from each grand division of this state.
(2) The materials must be age-appropriate and must clearly articulate the
foster child's rights. The department must provide the child with the materials and
explain the rights to the child within thirty (30) days of the child entering into the
SB 1015
custody of the department and annually as a part of the permanency hearing required
by§ 37-2-409.
(3) The department must review and, if necessary, revise the materials at
least every five (5) years.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.
2
SENATE BILL NO. 1015
PASSED: April 16, 2025
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SPEAKER OF THE SENATE
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CAMERON SEXTON, SPEAKER
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
E:1!:_ APPROVED this day o f ~ 2025
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BILL LEE, GOVERNOREvery fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.