Tennessee Senate Bill SB1285

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/25
• Engrossed: 3/10/25
• Enrolled: 3/18/25
• Passed: 3/25/25
• Chaptered: 4/8/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, Chapter 50, Part 1, relative to state employment bereavement leave.

Summary

SB1285 amends Tennessee’s state employee bereavement leave law to require specified state agencies, boards, and departments to provide paid leave when an employee experiences the death of certain family members. The bill creates a tiered leave structure: three paid days for the death of a sibling, grandparent, grandchild, foster parent, or parent-in-law; five paid days for the death of a parent or stepparent; and ten paid days for the death of a spouse, child, or stepchild. The measure applies to officers and employees of the state government entities identified in Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 8-30-102(a), 8-30-102(b)(2)-(11), and 8-30-102(b)(13). It amends existing law in Title 8, Chapter 50, Part 1, by adding a new subsection to the state bereavement leave statute and takes effect immediately upon becoming law. As a result, eligible state employees gain a clearer statutory entitlement to paid bereavement leave for specified family losses, and state agencies must administer the leave according to the new minimum requirements.

Impact

The bill directly changes Tennessee Code Annotated § 8-50-113 by expanding and specifying paid bereavement leave rights for state employees. It imposes mandatory leave obligations on covered state agencies, boards, and departments, and establishes minimum paid leave durations tied to the relationship of the deceased family member. The practical effect is to standardize bereavement leave across covered state government employers and to increase paid leave benefits for affected employees.

Sentiment

The available voting history indicates strong bipartisan support and little opposition. The Senate State & Local Government Committee recommended passage unanimously, 9-0, and the floor motion to adopt passed 30-0. No committee transcript objections are provided, and the bill was enacted as Public Chapter No. 74, suggesting broad agreement that the policy was appropriate and noncontroversial.

Contention

No significant points of contention are reflected in the provided materials. The main policy choice embedded in the bill is the scope and length of paid leave by family relationship, including whether to extend mandatory leave to more distant relatives such as grandparents, grandchildren, foster parents, and parents-in-law, but the recorded votes show no visible disagreement. Any administrative or cost concerns for state agencies are not documented in the available discussion.