Tennessee House Bill HB2398

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/3/26
• Refer: 2/5/26
• Refer: 3/25/26
• Refer: 3/31/26
• Refer: 4/6/26
• Chaptered: 5/5/26
• Passed: 5/5/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37; Title 49; Title 50, Chapter 5 and Title 71, relative to children.

Summary

HB2398 amends Tennessee law to create a narrow exception allowing certain high school students to work in child care centers. Under the bill, a student who is at least 16 years old may work outside school hours, or during school hours through a work-based learning program, if the student has completed at least two courses in an education and training career cluster. The measure is aimed at expanding supervised workforce opportunities for students interested in early childhood education and related careers. The bill also authorizes the Department of Human Services or the relevant state agency to adopt rules to implement the new provision, with those rules required to follow the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act. The act takes effect July 1, 2026, and is framed as an amendment to Tennessee Code Annotated Title 71, with related references to Titles 37, 49, and 50 in the caption. In practical terms, it modifies child labor and child care employment rules by carving out a specific pathway for qualified student workers in licensed child care settings.

Impact

The bill creates a statutory exception to existing child labor restrictions, specifically overriding the general prohibition in § 50-5-105 for eligible 16-year-old high school students working in child care centers. It affects employers in the child care industry, school districts and career-and-technical education programs, and students participating in work-based learning. The bill also gives the state authority to issue implementing rules, which may further define eligibility, supervision, and compliance requirements.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests broad support and little opposition. The bill advanced unanimously through the House Health Subcommittee, House Health Committee, and House Government Operations Committee, with no recorded nays in any of those votes. That pattern indicates the measure was generally viewed favorably as a workforce-development and education-related policy with limited controversy.

Contention

No major substantive opposition is reflected in the available materials. The main policy issue is the balance between expanding youth employment opportunities and maintaining child care safety and labor standards. Any concerns would likely center on whether 16-year-old students are sufficiently prepared to work in child care settings and how state rules will ensure appropriate training, supervision, and compliance, but the committee votes show those concerns did not generate recorded resistance.