Title 3, Legislature

(a) The duties of the Tennessee ethics commission include the following:(1) Recommend guiding principles of ethical conduct for consideration and adoption by the legislative or executive branches. The commission shall publish the guiding principles on the commission's website. Gu…

(1) The Tennessee ethics commission possesses power to:(1) Subpoena witnesses, compel their attendance and testimony, conduct audits, administer oaths, take evidence and require, by subpoena duces tecum, the production of books, papers, records or other evidence needed for the pe…

For the purposes of enforcement, this chapter shall be prospective only, and the Tennessee ethics commission shall limit its investigations to acts or omissions that occur on or after October 1, 2006.

Where the results of an investigation indicate a criminal violation has occurred, the commission shall refer the matter to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

The Tennessee ethics commission has the authority to petition the chancery court, through the attorney general and reporter or its own legal counsel, for enforcement of any order it has issued. The court's order of enforcement has the same force and effect as a civil judgment.

(a) The Tennessee ethics commission shall provide an annual ethics course concerning compliance with the laws administered and enforced by the commission for supervisory personnel in the executive branch of state government. The commission shall notify administrative departments …

(a) (1) The Tennessee ethics commission shall provide an annual orientation ethics course concerning compliance with the laws administered and enforced by the commission for members of the general assembly who have not yet taken the orientation ethics course and shall offer an an…

(a) The Tennessee ethics commission shall provide an annual ethics course on multiple dates, both when the general assembly is in session and when the general assembly is not in session for both lobbyists and employers of lobbyists. The training may be offered electronically. Tra…

(a) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the Tennessee ethics commission shall:(1) Develop, with the advice, assistance and approval of the division of strategic technology solutions, an internet-based electronic filing process for use by all persons that are required t…

(a) A person who is appointed to the Tennessee ethics commission may not vote, deliberate, or be counted as a member in attendance at a meeting of the commission until the person completes a training program provided by the executive director of the bureau of ethics and campaign …

(a) The commission is the only entity authorized to issue formal advisory opinions on matters related to this chapter, § 2-10-115, §§ 2-10-122 - 2-10-130, and title 8, chapter 50, part 5; provided, that the commission may request an opinion from the attorney general and reporter …

(a) (1) Any citizen of Tennessee may file a sworn complaint executed on a form prescribed by the Tennessee ethics commission alleging a violation of laws or rules within the jurisdiction of the commission.(2) No political party chair, state or county executive director of a polit…

(a) Except as provided in subsections (b)-(d), all commission proceedings regarding a sworn complaint, including records relating to a preliminary investigation, are public records and are open to public inspection under title 10, chapter 7. (b) All personal or professional finan…

(a) The commission shall initiate a preliminary investigation of each sworn complaint that complies with § 3-6-201. If the commission determines that the sworn complaint does not comply with § 3-6-201, then the commission shall dismiss the complaint and notify the complainant. In…

(a) The Tennessee ethics commission, on its own motion or at the request of the alleged violator, may issue subpoenas in accordance with the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure, except that service may be by certified mail, in addition to the means of service provided by the Tenne…

(a) The Tennessee ethics commission may impose a civil penalty for a violation of title 8, chapter 50, part 5.(1) “Class 1 offense” means the late filing of any report or statement required by title 8, chapter 50, part 5. A Class 1 offense shall be punishable by a civil penalty o…

(a) The Tennessee ethics commission shall maintain a register of all civil penalties imposed under this chapter and remaining unpaid. (b) If a civil penalty lawfully assessed and any lawfully assessed cost attendant to the penalty are not paid within thirty (30) days after the as…

Notwithstanding § 3-6-203, if the commission determines that probable cause exists to believe that a member of the general assembly has committed an act constituting misuse of office for personal financial gain, then, except as otherwise provided in § 3-6-306(a)(3), no civil pena…

(a) If the commission determines that a person:(1) Filed a complaint or provided information that resulted in an investigation knowing that the material statements in the complaint or the information provided was not true;(2) Filed an unsubstantiated complaint in reckless disrega…

(a) An individual who is within the jurisdiction of the commission may file a sworn complaint against any member or employee of the commission alleging a violation of this chapter, including allegations of arbitrary and capricious actions of the commission against the individual.…

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b)(1), §§ 3-6-201 — 3-6-203 shall only apply to a complaint alleging a violation of this chapter. (b) (1) The commission has the authority to investigate any alleged violation of title 8, chapter 50, part 5, upon a sworn complaint by a citiz…

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Administrative action” means the taking of any recommendation, report or nonministerial action; the making of any decision or taking any action to postpone any action or decision; action of the governor in appro…

(a) (1) Not later than seven (7) days after becoming an employer of a lobbyist, the employer shall electronically register with the Tennessee ethics commission. Each year thereafter, the employer shall register in the same manner, if the employer continues to employ one (1) or mo…

(a) Within forty-five (45) days following conclusion of the six-month periods ending June 30 and December 31, each employer of a lobbyist shall electronically file with the ethics commission the employer disclosure report. For the six-month period, the report shall disclose the f…

(a) No employer of a lobbyist, lobbyist or any person acting at the specific direction of an employer or lobbyist shall offer or attempt to offer anything of value to an official in the legislative or executive branch, or to the official's immediate family, based on any stated or…

(a) (1) No employer of a lobbyist or lobbyist may provide a gift, directly or indirectly, to a candidate for public office, official in the legislative branch, official in the executive branch, or immediate family of such candidate or official.(2) A candidate for public office, a…

(a) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary:(1) (A) The ethics commission may administratively assess a civil penalty of not more than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per day up to a maximum of seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) if an employer of a lobbyist:(i) Fails, without good c…

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, if a person receives as compensation for lobbying only reimbursement for actual out-of-pocket personal expenses, and if the person receives reimbursement for ten (10) days or less per year, then the person is not …

(a) This part shall be administered and enforced by the ethics commission. To that end, it is the duty of the ethics commission to:(1) Develop, with the advice, assistance and approval of the division of strategic technology solutions, and prescribe electronic forms for registrat…

(a) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Commission” means the Tennessee ethics commission or other governmental body authorized by statute to register lobbyists;(2) “Guarantee agency” means a guarantor of student loans that has an agreement with th…