Tennessee legislation · 114th General Assembly
Tennessee HB2206: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37, relative to the department of children's services.
Status: Chaptered, May 4, 2026
Fiscal Summary NOT SIGNIFICANT Bill Summary ON MARCH 19, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2459, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, generally prohibit the department of children's services from (i) requesting information regarding the number or type of firearms or ammunition or identifying information about such firearms or ammunition that a foster parent or prospective foster parent owns or possesses; or (ii) requesting a foster parent or prospective foster parent to display or provide access to a firearm or ammunition owned or possessed by the parent. However, this amendment does not prohibit the department from (i) inquiring whether firearms and ammunition are present in the foster parent or prospective foster parent's home and, if so, whether such firearms and ammunition are securely stored; and (ii) requesting to see the storage of such firearms or ammunition without requesting that the foster parent or prospective foster parent open a secured storage compartment. Further, this amendment does not apply to an investigation into an allegation of abuse or neglect within a foster home.
What the bill says
From the amended text:
House Judiciary 1 Amendment No. 1 to HB2206 Farmer Signature of Sponsor AMEND S e n ate Bill No. 2459 House Bill No. 2206* by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37, Chapter 2, Part 4, is amended by adding the following new section: (a) The department of children's services shall not: (1) Request information regarding the number or type of firearms or ammunition or identifying information about such firearms or ammunition that a foster parent or prospective foster parent owns or possesses; or (2) Request a foster parent or prospective foster parent to display or provide access to a firearm or ammunition owned or possessed by the parent. (b) Subsection (a) does not prohibit the department from: (1) Inquiring whether firearms and ammunition are present in the foster parent or prospective foster parent's home and, if so, whether such firearms and ammunition are securely stored; and (2) Requesting to see the storage of any firearms or ammunition; provided, that the department shall not request that the foster parent or prospective foster parent open a secured storage compartment. (c) This section does not apply to an investigation into an allegation of abuse or neglect within a foster home. SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare …