Tennessee House Bill HB0936

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/4/25
• Refer: 2/10/26
• Failed: 3/11/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 71, Chapter 3, Part 5, relative to child care.

Summary

HB0936 makes a narrow technical change to Tennessee’s child care statutes. Specifically, it amends the definition language in Tennessee Code Annotated § 71-3-501(12) by clarifying the relationship terms used in a list of family members. The bill changes the phrasing from “nieces, nephews” to “nieces or nephews of the whole or half-blood,” while retaining references to siblings of the whole or half-blood and step-siblings. The practical effect is to refine how the statute describes qualifying family relationships in the child care context, likely for purposes of licensing, exemptions, or eligibility rules tied to family-based care. The bill does not create a new program or impose a broad policy change; instead, it updates statutory wording to make the family relationship categories more precise and internally consistent.

Impact

The bill amends Title 71, Chapter 3, Part 5 of the Tennessee Code, which governs child care, by revising a definitional provision in § 71-3-501(12). Its impact is limited to the interpretation of family relationship terms used in that part of the code, potentially affecting which relatives are included under child care-related provisions that rely on the definition. No other statutes are directly changed, and the measure appears to be a technical clarification rather than a substantive expansion or restriction of child care law.

Sentiment

There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history provided for HB0936, so there is no direct evidence of debate, support, or opposition. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears noncontroversial and administrative in nature, with a likely general sentiment of routine clarification rather than policy dispute.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the available materials. If any concerns were raised, they are not reflected in the provided transcripts or voting record. The only potentially notable issue is the precision of the family-relationship language, but the bill’s narrow scope suggests minimal disagreement.