Tennessee Senate Bill SB0314

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/27/25
• Engrossed: 3/17/25
• Enrolled: 4/1/25
• Passed: 4/11/25
• Chaptered: 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

SB0314 amends Tennessee law to expand the definition of “adoption” for purposes of family leave. Under the bill, adoption includes the period beginning when an adoption petition is filed and a minor child is initially placed in the home of a prospective adoptive parent under a court-ordered parental power of attorney, guardianship, or custodial order, and continues until the court enters a final adoption order. This change is aimed at recognizing the pre-finalization placement period as part of the adoption process. By broadening the statutory definition, the bill affects Tennessee Code Annotated Section 8-50-814 and related provisions in Titles 36 and 37 that reference adoption and family leave. The practical effect is to make employees eligible for adoption-related leave during the time a child is already living with a prospective adoptive parent but before the adoption is finalized, which may affect employer leave administration and the rights of adoptive families. The act takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Impact

The bill changes Tennessee’s family leave framework by expanding the legal meaning of adoption to include the period after a child is placed with a prospective adoptive parent and before the final adoption decree. This likely broadens access to adoption-related leave for employees and may require employers and state agencies to treat certain pre-finalization placements as covered adoption events under state law.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have received strong, unanimous support in both committee and on the floor. The Senate State & Local Government Committee recommended passage by an 8-0 vote, and the floor motion to adopt passed 32-0. The available record suggests broad agreement that the measure is a straightforward family-support policy with no recorded opposition in the provided materials.

Contention

No substantive contention is reflected in the provided committee or floor records. Because there are no transcripts, any potential concerns are not documented here, but issues that could have been debated include the scope of leave eligibility, how employers would verify qualifying placements, and whether the expanded definition could create administrative or cost impacts. The recorded votes, however, indicate no visible opposition among lawmakers in the available history.