Tennessee General Assembly· SB 1605Signed by Governor.

Courts, Juvenile - As enacted, expands the goals of zero to three court programs to include cases involving children five years of age or younger, with priority given to cases involving children younger than three years , the official text

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                              PUBLIC CHAPTER NO. 611

                                                    SENATE BILL NO. 1605

                                                By Haile, Yarbro, Kyle, Rose

                                            Substituted for: House Bill No. 2083

                                                             By Littleton

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

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

          SECTION 1. Tennessee .Code Annotated, Section 37-1-902(b), is amended by deleting
subdivisions (b)(1 )-(3) and substituting:

                    (1) To reduce time to permanency of children five (5) years of age or younger, with
          priority given to cases involving children younger than three (3) years of age, by surrounding
          at-risk families with support services;

                    (2) To reduce incidences of repeat maltreatment among children five (5) years of age
          or younger;

                    (3) To reduce the long-term and short-term effects of traumatic experiences occurring
          when a child is five (5) years of age or younger on a child's brain development;

          SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.
         SENATE BILL NO. 1605

PASSED:  March 9, 2026

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                                           RANDY McNJ

                               SPEAKER OF THE SENATE

                              •

                          CAMERON"'SEXTON,SPEAKER
                          HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

a£t: APPROVED this  day of fv'\o.xcL       2026

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