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.
....
••• -,y·
.--~--~f··~
--~~--~1i
.. U'? f ,."""''iii( nv h; e' 1, !•.
:~• ~r::1. . .J _ . : A / (( ~
<;µ.\\
.:__
f}o.J';lr·.~,..,:.-;.t:r~R'-'G;('.
~ ~ .. --...~.. 2
ff State JetUt&Ssee
PUBLIC CHAPTER NO. 723
SENATE BILL NO. 2225.
By Johnson, Walley, Rose
Substituted for: House Bill No. 2527
By Lamberth, Cochran, Littleton, Clemmons, Powers
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37, Chapter 1, relative to child abuse
investigations.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 37-1-607(a)(2}, is amended by deleting
the subdivision and substituting instead:
(2) Each team must be composed of one (1) person from the department, one (1)
representative from the office of the district attorney general, one (1) juvenile court officer or
investigator from a court of competent jurisdiction, and one (1) properly trained law
enforcement officer with countywide jurisdiction from the county where the child resides or
where the alleged offense occurred. The team may also include a representative from one
(1) of the mental health disciplines and a representative trained in child abuse from one (1) of
the medical disciplines. For cases involving an allegation that a child is a victim of a human
trafficking offense, the team must include a representative from one (1) non-governmental
agency specialized in combating the commercial sexual exploitation of minors. It is in the
best interest of the child that, whenever possible, an initial investigation not be commenced
unless all required disciplines are represented. However, an initial investigation may be
commenced if at least two (2) of the required team members are present at the initial
investigation. In a geographical area in which a child advocacy center meets the
requirements of § 9-4-213(a) or (b), the child advocacy center director, or their designee,
must be a member of the team under this part and part 4 of this chapter for the purposes of
provision of services and functions established by § 9-4-213 or delegated pursuant to that
section. In such event, a child advocacy center director, or their designee, may access and
generate all necessary information, which must retain its confidential status, consistent with §
37-1-612.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 37-1-607(a)(3), is amended by adding the
following sentence at the end of the subdivision:
Each year, team members shall complete fifteen (15) hours of training related to severe child
abuse and child sexual abuse to be provided by the department. The department must
develop the training in consultation with the administrative office of the courts, the state
chapter of the child advocacy centers, the Tennessee district attorneys general conference,
the Tennessee Sheriffs' Association, and the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 37-1-406(i), is amended by deleting the
subsection and substituting instead:
(i)( 1) Except for investigations concerning a child fatality, the department or team in
cases of child sexual abuse or severe child abuse or the department in all other
cases shall determine whether the reported abuse was indicated or unfounded and
report its findings to the department's abuse registry no later than ninety (90) days
after receiving the initial report.
(2) For investigations concerning a child fatality, the department or team shall
determine whether the reported abuse was indicated or unfounded and report its
SB 2225
findings to the department's abuse registry no later than one hundred eighty (180)
days after receiving the initial report. If all necessary investigative tasks to determine
if the reported abuse was indicated or unfounded cannot be completed within one
hundred eighty (180) days after receiving the initial report, then the commissioner, or
the commissioner's designee, may authorize one (1) extension of the investigation for
good cause, for up to an additional one hundred eighty (180) days. The authorization
must document the good cause for the extension and a plan for completing the
investigation.
(3) Each member of the team must be provided with a copy of the report in
any case investigated by the team. In any case investigated solely by the department,
the department shall make a complete written investigation report, including its
recommendation, to the juvenile court. The district attorney general must also be
provided a copy of any report in all cases where the investigation determines that the
report was indicated. Further proceedings must be conducted pursuant to part 1 of
this chapter, as appropriate.
SECTION 4. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.
2
SENATE BILL NO. 2225
PASSED: April 2, 2026
n.. ~ " 'f\41. ~ .....,.\....
' RANDY McNAL\Y
SPEAKER OF THE SENAfE
CAMERO~XTON,SPEAKER
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APPROVED this ll,pii day of /AQh'I 2026
~UA..-
BILL LEE, GOVERNOREvery fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.