Tennessee Senate Bill SB2225

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26
• Engrossed: 3/2/26
• Enrolled: 4/2/26
• Passed: 4/16/26
• Chaptered: 5/5/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37, Chapter 1, relative to child abuse investigations.

Summary

SB2225 revises Tennessee’s child abuse investigation procedures, with a particular focus on multidisciplinary team investigations and child fatality cases. The bill requires each investigative team to include specified representatives from the Department of Children’s Services, the district attorney general’s office, juvenile court, and law enforcement, and it adds a child advocacy center director or designee to the team in areas where a qualifying child advocacy center exists. It also clarifies that, in human trafficking cases involving a child victim, the team must include a nongovernmental agency specializing in combating the commercial sexual exploitation of minors. The bill further requires annual 15-hour training for team members on severe child abuse and child sexual abuse, to be developed by the department in consultation with several state and law-enforcement organizations. It changes investigation timelines by requiring most abuse determinations to be completed and reported within 90 days, while child fatality investigations must be completed within 180 days, with one possible 180-day extension for good cause. The bill also specifies reporting and information-sharing requirements, including providing reports to team members, juvenile court in department-only investigations, and district attorneys when a case is indicated.

Impact

SB2225 amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 37, Chapter 1, primarily Sections 37-1-607 and 37-1-406, to restructure child abuse investigative teams, add training requirements, and set new deadlines for abuse registry determinations and reporting. It affects the Department of Children’s Services, district attorneys general, juvenile courts, law enforcement, child advocacy centers, and specialized anti-trafficking organizations, while preserving confidentiality rules for generated information. The act takes effect July 1, 2026.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad support and little visible opposition. It passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously and cleared subsequent floor votes in both chambers without any recorded nays, suggesting a generally favorable view of the bill’s child-protection and process-improvement goals. The unanimous votes indicate consensus around strengthening investigative coordination and timelines in child abuse cases.

Contention

No major controversy is reflected in the available committee or floor vote record. The main policy choices embedded in the bill are the required team composition, the addition of child advocacy center participation, the mandatory annual training, and the shortened investigation deadlines with a limited extension for child fatality cases. Any potential concern would likely center on implementation burdens for agencies and the ability to meet tighter deadlines, but no specific opposition is shown in the provided materials.