Bill > HB2081

This bill expands the Tennessee Second Look Commission, a body that reviews cases related to child abuse, by adding the commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services as a member and including an at-large member with experience advocating for children. It also clarifies that the commission's reporting requirements include findings and recommendations from reviews of child protective teams and services for dependent and neglected youth, with reports due annually to the General Assembly and the Governor starting in 2027. Furthermore, the bill strengthens protections for children by defining strangulation as a form of abuse and neglect, particularly in cases involving infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome, a condition where newborns experience withdrawal symptoms from substances their mothers used during pregnancy, and allows courts to order parents to provide documentation of pediatric care and undergo drug testing in such situations.