Tennessee Senate Bill SB2525

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26
• Engrossed: 3/16/26
• Enrolled: 4/15/26
• Passed: 4/27/26
• Chaptered: 5/5/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37; Title 49; Title 50, Chapter 5 and Title 71, relative to children.

Summary

SB2525 amends Tennessee law to create a narrow exception allowing certain high school students age 16 or older to work in child care centers. The exception applies outside school hours, or during school hours if the student is participating in a work-based learning program, and only if the student has completed at least two courses in an education and training career cluster. The bill also authorizes the Department to adopt rules to implement the new provision. The measure is framed as a workforce and career-pathway bill tied to child care and secondary career and technical education. It modifies existing restrictions in Tennessee’s child labor and child care-related statutes by carving out a specific pathway for students preparing for education and training careers to gain practical experience in licensed child care settings.

Impact

The bill changes Tennessee Code Annotated Title 71 by adding a new section that overrides, in limited circumstances, the general child labor restriction referenced in § 50-5-105. It affects high school students, child care centers, school districts, and the Department responsible for rulemaking, while leaving the broader child labor framework intact except for this targeted exception. The act takes effect July 1, 2026.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have received strong, unanimous support throughout the legislative process. It was recommended for passage by the Senate Education Committee 9-0, passed the Senate floor 32-0 on third consideration, and later passed the regular calendar 93-0. The voting history suggests broad agreement that the bill serves a practical education and workforce-development purpose.

Contention

No significant opposition is reflected in the available record. The only potential point of policy interest is the balance between expanding hands-on learning opportunities for students and maintaining child labor and child care safety standards. The bill addresses that concern by limiting eligibility to older high school students who have completed relevant coursework and by authorizing agency rules to implement the program.