AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37, Chapter 1, relative to juvenile court data.
SB2219 amends Tennessee’s juvenile court data reporting law to require more detailed information to be collected and reported for dependency and neglect cases. The bill defines key terms such as “dependency and neglect case,” “dependent and neglected child,” and “extension of foster care,” and then expands the list of data elements that must be included in court reporting. For each new dependency and neglect case, the reporting must include the filing date, the referring person or agency, statutory allegations, child identifiers, docket numbering by child, and personal demographic information such as name, date of birth, race, sex, ethnicity, and Social Security number.
The bill also requires additional case-level outcome and placement information where applicable, including out-of-home placement dates and types, trial home placement dates, adjudication or dismissal/transfer dates, permanency outcomes for children in Department of Children’s Services custody, case closure dates, and foster care extension dates. The act takes effect January 1, 2027, and is aimed at improving the completeness and consistency of juvenile court data in Tennessee.
SB2219 changes Tennessee Code Annotated § 37-1-187 by expanding juvenile court data reporting requirements for dependency and neglect proceedings. It affects juvenile courts and the data systems used to track child welfare cases, including cases involving the Department of Children’s Services, foster care, trial home placements, permanency goals, and case closure. The bill does not alter substantive dependency and neglect standards, but it increases the amount of identifying and case-status information that must be captured and reported statewide.
The bill appears to have been received favorably and moved through the legislature with strong support. It was recommended for passage by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 9-0 vote, passed the Senate floor on third consideration by a 29-0 vote, and then passed the House on regular calendar passage by an 87-1 vote. The voting history suggests broad bipartisan agreement that the data-reporting changes were acceptable and useful.
There is little evidence of major controversy in the available record. The only notable point is that the bill requires collection and reporting of sensitive child and family information, including Social Security numbers and demographic data, which could raise privacy or data-security concerns in principle. However, no committee transcript or recorded debate is provided here, and the near-unanimous votes indicate that any objections were limited or not significant enough to affect passage.