(a) Notwithstanding title 71, chapter 3, part 1, or any other law to the contrary, the department shall establish and implement the responsible teen parent pilot project. The pilot project shall be established in at least one (1) county within each of the three (3) grand divisions. Acting in consultation with the department of education and department of labor and workforce development, the council of juvenile and family court judges, the district attorneys general conference, the department of human services shall develop policies and procedures whereby child support obligations of project participants may be adjusted or deferred; provided, that the participants engage in one (1) or more of the following activities:
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 36-5-112
Child: means an individual, whether over or under the age of majority, who is or is alleged to be owed a duty of support by the individual's parent or who is or is alleged to be the beneficiary of a support order directed to the parent. See Tennessee Code 36-5-2101
Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
Law: includes decisional and statutory law and rules and regulations having the force of law. See Tennessee Code 36-5-2101
Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession under the jurisdiction of the United States. See Tennessee Code 36-5-2101
(1) Attending school and making satisfactory progress toward high school graduation;(2) Attending preparatory classes and making satisfactory progress toward receipt of a high school equivalency credential approved by the state board of education;(3) Participating in approved job training programs and making satisfactory progress toward job placement; or(4) Participating in approved parenting skills training courses and making satisfactory progress toward mastery of the subject matter of such courses.(b) Participation in the responsible teen parent pilot program shall be restricted to persons who:
(1) Are under twenty-one (21) years of age;(2) Are noncustodial parents of children who are receiving, or who have recently received, aid to families with dependent children benefits;(3) Are unable to provide adequate support for such children due to unemployment or underemployment;(4) Pay a minimum, specified amount of child support; and(5) Visit their children at least once each week unless such visitation is restricted by court order.(c) In accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, the department of human services, acting in consultation with the department of education, department of labor and workforce development, the council of juvenile and family court judges, and the district attorneys general conference, shall promulgate such rules as may be necessary to implement the responsible teen parent pilot project in an efficient and effective manner. Such rules shall include, but shall not be limited to, policies and procedures for:
(1) Identifying teen parents who would be eligible to participate in these programs in the pilot counties;(2) Pursuing the establishment of paternity in all cases involving teen parenthood within the pilot counties;(3) Pursuing the establishment and enforcement of support orders in such cases;(4) Selecting project participants;(5) Monitoring project participants;(6) Determining adjustments or deferral of child support obligations for project participants;(7) Selecting approved job training programs; and(8) Determining the minimum amount of child support that must be paid by project participants throughout their enrollment in the pilot project.(d) The department of human services shall gather and compile data to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the pilot project in promoting responsible parenting and in encouraging near- and long-term fulfillment of child support obligations. On or before December 31 each year, the department of human services, acting in consultation with the department of education, department of labor and workforce development, the council of juvenile and family court judges, and the district attorneys general conference, shall report to the judiciary committee of the senate and the civil justice committee of the house of representatives concerning implementation of the pilot project and shall include any recommendations pertaining thereto.(e) Within each of the pilot counties, the department of human services and the juvenile court or the district attorney general shall jointly undertake a public awareness campaign to periodically inform and remind teens that:
(1) Teen parents have a legal obligation to financially support their children, and that such obligation continues for eighteen (18) years following the birth of a child;(2) The legal obligation of support exists regardless of a teen parent’s gender or marital status; and(3) The legal obligation of support will be enforced and the means with which the department may enforce the obligation.(f) This section shall not be construed or applied in any manner that jeopardizes or reduces the availability of federal funding resources for state administered public assistance programs.
