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Monday, Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile, R-Gallatin, and House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, led the Adoption and Foster Care Caucus meeting where lawmakers announced legislation aimed at making adoption and foster care easier, cheaper and faster in Tennessee.

The legislation presented seeks to make many improvements such as removing red tape in the adoption process, increasing the number of children that someone can watch in their home and reducing the caseload of Department of Children’s Services caseworkers.

“We need to make adoption and foster care cheaper, easier and quicker so that we can increase the number of adoptive and foster care families in Tennessee,” Haile said. “I am very proud of the work we have done over the last six months to craft legislation that will make a positive impact in the lives of Tennessee children.”

Faison said that as an adoptive parent, the issue hits close to home.

“Every child deserves to be protected and cared for in a loving home,” said Faison who represents part of Hamblen County in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Legislation discussed in the meeting includes:

• Adoption and Foster Care Omnibus Bill – Senate Bill 528 is comprehensive legislation that would make various changes to adoption and foster care by eliminating red tape. If passed, the legislation would, among many other things, allow non-foster care parents to adopt from DCS, allow more time for adoptive parents to pay for birth related expenses, allow foster parents to be involved in court proceedings, prohibit the overturning of adoptions after six months and increase options for pre-birth and post-birth surrenders.

• Mother’s Tax Cut – If passed, Senate Bill 529 would eliminate sales tax on baby formula, diapers and wet wipes.

• First Lady’s Children’s Trust Fund – Senate Bill 530 would create a long-term funding strategy for organizations in Tennessee providing services to children instead of funding on a one-time, as needed basis.

• Caseload cap for DCS workers – Senate Bill 531 is based on recommendations from an audit by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office, this legislation would change the way caseload caps per DCS caseworkers are calculated from an “average” to “actual” cap of 20 cases per case worker.

• Best interest of the child – Senate Bill 532 is legislation would require DCS to amend their mission statement to include “best interest of the child” as the department’s main goal.

• Sick Leave Bank / State employees – Senate Bill 533 is a proposal would allow state employees with children who have prolonged illnesses to use the state sick leave bank to care for their sick child after they have depleted their personal time.

• Safe Haven Law – Senate Bill 534 is legislation would require DCS to transfer guardianship of an infant to a certified adoption agency if left at a Safe Haven location. It would also allow a court to waive the six-month waiting period to finalize an adoption of a baby who was surrendered under the safe haven law.

• Abandonment – Senate Bill 535 is a measure would revise the definition of abandonment for purposes of terminating parental rights to include circumstances where the parent or guardian fails to visit or support the child for a period of three consecutive months if the child is less than four years of age.

• Severe Child Abuse – Senate Bill 536 is legislation would add offenses that constitute severe child abuse for the purpose of juvenile court and termination of parental rights proceedings.

• Incarcerated individuals – Senate Bill 537 is legislation that would lower from 10 to six years the amount of time a parent or guardian must be incarcerated as grounds for termination of parental or guardianship rights.

• Paid FMLA for adoptive parents – Senate Bill 538 is a bill would provide six weeks paid family medical leave to state employees who are first-time adoptive or foster parents.

• Neighborhood childcare – Senate Bill 537 is legislation would increase the number of non-biological children a person can watch in their home without having to register as a childcare facility. The goal is to start conversations about innovative solutions to the childcare desert in Tennessee.

• DHS Childcare Improvement Fund – Senate Bill 534 is legislation would create a state fund to assist entities seeking to improve or create child care facilities.

• Unlicensed child placement agencies – Senate Bill 542 is legislation seeks to crackdown on unlicensed, out-of-state placement agencies operating in Tennessee that offer quick adoptions for high fees.

• Guardian Ad Litem – Senate Bill 544, if passed, seeks to ease the workload for DCS caseworkers, legislation would require DCS to hire GALs to review cases that might need parental rights terminated.

• Adoption and Foster Care Resolution – Senate Joint Resolution 129 is a resolution calls on Gov. Bill Lee and state agencies to contemplate various issues and ideas to improve adoption and foster care in Tennessee.