AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 36 and Title 37, relative to children.
Summary
SB0609 amends Tennessee’s child custody and parenting plan statutes to emphasize that, when courts consider custody-related factors, the child’s best interest is always paramount. It revises Tennessee Code Annotated § 36-6-106(a) to state this principle directly and adds a new factor requiring courts to consider, without creating any presumption about parenting time, whether a proposed or ordered parenting schedule gives each parent meaningful opportunities to participate in the child’s life, so long as that remains consistent with the child’s best interest.
The bill also makes conforming changes to related custody and parenting plan provisions in Title 36, including updating cross-references so that the broader best-interest factors in § 36-6-106(a) are used consistently. The act applies to child-related family law proceedings and is set to take effect July 1, 2026.
Impact
The bill changes Tennessee family law by clarifying the statutory best-interest standard in custody determinations and by adding a specific consideration for meaningful parental participation in parenting schedules. It affects courts handling custody and parenting plan disputes, and it updates related statutory references in Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 36-6-106 and 36-6-404 to align with the revised factor list.
Sentiment
The available voting record shows strong and unanimous support for the bill at each recorded stage, including committee and floor votes with no recorded opposition. The absence of committee transcript material limits insight into debate, but the unanimous votes suggest the measure was viewed favorably and as a noncontroversial clarification of custody law.
Contention
No major points of contention are evident in the available record. The only potentially sensitive issue is the added language about each parent having meaningful opportunities to participate in the child’s life, but the bill expressly avoids creating any presumption about parenting time and keeps the child’s best interest as the controlling standard, which likely reduced opposition.