Senate Bill 262 amends various sections of the Tennessee Code Annotated to extend the time frame for the voluntary surrender of an infant. Specifically, the bill changes the age limit for infants eligible for voluntary surrender from "fourteen (14)" days to "forty-five (45)" days in multiple sections, including Sections 36-1-102(1)(A)(v), 36-1-142(a), and 68-11-255(a)(4) and (a)(6). Additionally, it modifies the reference to a "fourteen-day period" to a "forty-five-day period" in Section 68-11-255(b)(1)(A).

The bill aims to provide parents with a longer period to voluntarily surrender an infant, thereby potentially reducing the number of abandoned infants and promoting safer options for parents in crisis. The act will take effect upon becoming law, emphasizing the urgency of the public welfare in addressing this issue.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 36-1-102(1)(A)(v), 36-1-102, 36-1-142(a), 36-1-142, 68-11-255(a)(4), 68-11-255, 68-11-255(a)(6), 68-11-255(b)(1)(A)