HB 347 - SB 560
FISCAL NOTE
Fiscal Review Committee
Tennessee General Assembly
February 28, 2025
Fiscal Analyst: Christine Drescher | Email: christine.drescher@capitol.tn.gov | Phone: 615-741-2564
HB 347 - SB 560
SUMMARY OF BILL: Establishes that the terms “failed to support” or “failed to make
reasonable payments toward child support” do not include the failure to meet the needs of a child
solely due to financial hardship, unless reasonable material goods or resources has been offered to
and refused by the parent or guardian.
Authorizes a court to consider the economic circumstances of each parent when considering the
termination of parental rights, but prohibits a court from weighing a factor against a parent solely
due to financial hardship, unless reasonable material goods and resources have been offered to and
refused by the parent or guardian.
Specifies that abuse, severe child abuse, and child neglect do not include when the alleged harm is
solely due to a parent or guardian’s financial hardship, unless reasonable material goods and
resources have been offered to and refused by the parent or guardian.
Prohibits criminal liability from being imposed on a parent or guardian solely due to financial
hardship, unless reasonable material goods and resources have been offered to and refused by the
parent. Prohibits the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) from requiring a parent or guardian
to relieve their conditions of financial hardship, if it is outside of their ability to do so, when
determining whether to continue or restore custody to the parent or guardian.
FISCAL IMPACT:
NOT SIGNIFICANT
Assumptions:
• According to information provided by DCS, children are not currently removed due solely
to financial hardship; nevertheless, financial hardship is present in the majority of cases.
• Therefore, the proposed legislation will not result in any significant decrease in the number
cases handled by DCS.
• The proposed legislation may result in some increase in the number of parents and
guardians litigating in the courts that their child was removed solely due to financial
hardship.
• However, any increase in litigation can be managed utilizing existing court resources, and is
not anticipated to result in any significant operational effect to DCS.
• The proposed legislation can be managed within existing DCS personnel and resources, and
will not result in any increase in state or local expenditures.
HB 347 - SB 560 2
CERTIFICATION:
The information contained herein is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
Bojan Savic, Executive Director