(a)

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 36-1-141

  • Adoption: means the social and legal process of establishing by court order, other than by paternity or legitimation proceedings or by voluntary acknowledgment of paternity, the legal relationship of parent and child. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • children: means any person or persons under eighteen (18) years of age. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Code: includes the Tennessee Code and all amendments and revisions to the code and all additions and supplements to the code. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Department: means the department of children's services or any of its divisions or units. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Related: means grandparents or any degree of great-grandparents, aunts or uncles, or any degree of great-aunts or great-uncles, or stepparent, or cousins of the first degree, or first cousins once removed, or any siblings of the whole or half degree or any spouse of the above listed relatives. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Surrender: means a document executed under §. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
(1)

(A) The department shall, by rules promulgated pursuant to the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, part 2, establish fees or charges for conducting any search or record disclosure, except for those pursuant to § 36-1-135, and for transmission of any data in connection with such searches, for:

(i) Providing any nonidentifying information; or
(ii) [Deleted by 2021 amendment.]
(iii) [Deleted by 2021 amendment.]
(iv) Providing copies of documents.
(B) The rules shall provide for waiver of any fees or charges based upon a person‘s ability to pay.
(2) Any fees or charges received by the department pursuant to this part shall be deposited with the state treasurer in accordance with § 9-4-301.
(b) The department shall, by rules promulgated pursuant to the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, establish forms that shall be required for use by all Tennessee courts, agencies, and persons for:

(1) Surrenders and parental consents;
(2) Medical and social history information required by § 36-1-111;
(3) Revocation of surrenders and parental consents;
(4) Consents by minors or guardians ad litem required by § 36-1-117;
(5) Certifications of completion of counseling and the criteria for counseling and certifications of the completion of legal service required by § 36-1-111;
(6) Disclosure forms required pursuant to this part; and
(7) [Deleted by 2021 amendment.]
(8) Releases of information.
(c)

(1) The forms required by subsection (b) shall be promulgated pursuant to the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, and shall be mandatory forms, and shall, notwithstanding any law to the contrary, be effective as emergency rules on the dates any of the sections of this part necessitating their promulgation become effective as provided by this part; provided, that the provisions of the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, related to promulgation of such forms as permanent rules must be followed.
(2)

(A) Unless otherwise specifically directed by the general assembly, no provision of chapter 1054 of the Public Acts of 1996, or any other law that may necessitate the modification of any of the mandatory forms that may be required by this part or any other title of Tennessee Code Annotated at any time shall require the modification of any existing form or use of any new form until the department or its successor agency providing adoption services under this part pursuant to any executive order or pursuant to any other legislation promulgates such form as a permanent rule and such rule is effective, or unless it is determined by the department or its successor agency providing adoption services under this part pursuant to any executive order or pursuant to any other legislation that such change must be made under any requirements of § 4-5-209.
(B) No surrender, revocation, adoption or any other activity requiring the use of any form promulgated pursuant to this part shall be defective, void or invalid because it is undertaken using any form that is in effect as a promulgated and effective rule of the department or its successor agency providing adoption services under this part pursuant to any executive order or pursuant to any other legislation on the date of such action, whether or not any new or amended provision of chapter 1054 of the Public Acts of 1996, or any law has been enacted prior to the date of such action, until such form has been promulgated and is effective as a permanent rule, or as otherwise required by § 4-5-209. It is the intent of the general assembly to preclude in any manner questions concerning the validity of any adoption or related proceeding or procedure due to the failure or inability of the department or its successor agency providing adoption services under this part pursuant to any executive order or pursuant to any other legislation to make timely changes to such mandatory forms.
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, or any other provision of chapter 1054 of the Public Acts of 1996, to the contrary, any forms promulgated by the department, or its successor state agency providing adoption services under this part pursuant to any executive order or pursuant to any other legislation, which forms are related to any provisions of this part for the implementation of the release of identifying information process involving the access to records pursuant to this part, shall be effective as emergency rules, following approval of such emergency rules by the attorney general and reporter, upon the date of the filing of such rules with the secretary of state; provided, that the provisions of the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, relative to the promulgation of such rules as permanent rules must be followed.
(d) Any other rules required by the departments of children‘s services, health, and general services to effect implementation of this part upon the effective dates of any sections in this part, including rules establishing fees and charges for services, shall, notwithstanding any law to the contrary, be effective as emergency rules on the date of filing such rules; provided, that the provisions of the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, related to promulgation of such rules as permanent rules must be followed.
(e) The departments of children’s services, health, and general services shall be authorized to promulgate such other rules pursuant to the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, as may be necessary for the implementation of this part.
(f) The departments of children’s services, health and general services shall make master copies of all forms necessary for compliance with chapter 532 of the Public Acts of 1995, available to all clerks of courts with adoption or surrender jurisdiction, to the administrative office of the courts, to the department of children’s services’ county offices, to all licensed child-placing agencies and to any persons requesting them. Such master copies may then be duplicated and such exact duplicates shall be valid for any use required by this part. Master copies may, in addition, be provided to the clerks, the administrative office of the courts, the department of children’s services’ county offices, to all licensed child-placing agencies and to any persons requesting them by any suitable electronic medium as is deemed suitable to each of the departments for its purposes. Electronic facsimile copies of the forms prescribed under this section shall be valid for use as may be required.
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