Tennessee House Bill HB1150

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/5/25
• Refer: 2/12/25
• Refer: 3/18/25
• Refer: 3/25/25
• Chaptered: 5/2/25
• Passed: 5/2/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, Chapter 50; Title 36 and Title 37, Chapter 1, relative to family leave for adoption of a newly placed minor child.

Summary

HB1150 amends Tennessee law to clarify the meaning of “adoption” for purposes of family leave. Under the bill, adoption begins when an adoption petition is filed and a minor child is initially placed in the prospective adoptive parent’s home under a court-ordered parental power of attorney, guardianship, or custodial order, and continues until the court enters a final adoption order. The measure is aimed at ensuring that employees and families can access leave during the period when a child has been placed but the adoption is not yet final. The bill updates Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 8-50-814, and is tied to state family leave provisions. By expanding the statutory definition of adoption, it affects how leave eligibility is determined for adoptive parents during the transition period before finalization. The act takes effect immediately upon becoming law, reflecting a stated public welfare need.

Impact

The bill narrows a gap in Tennessee’s family leave framework by expressly covering the period between initial placement of a child and final adoption decree. This change affects state leave administration and may influence how employers, public agencies, and adoptive parents interpret eligibility for leave benefits under Title 8, Chapter 50. It also interacts with adoption-related provisions in Titles 36 and 37 by linking leave rights to court-ordered placement and custody arrangements.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House Education Administration Subcommittee 6-0, the House Education Committee 17-0, and the full House 93-0 on consent calendar passage. The unanimous votes suggest strong bipartisan agreement that the clarification was beneficial for adoptive families and administrative consistency.

Contention

No significant opposition is reflected in the available record. The only potential point of discussion is the scope of the expanded definition of adoption—specifically, whether leave should begin at petition filing and initial placement rather than only at final adoption. However, the unanimous committee and floor votes indicate that any such concerns were not substantial enough to generate recorded dissent.