Title 4, State Government

(a) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, in the allocation and use of community development block grants it is the policy of this state that a substantial portion of such grants shall be utilized whenever reasonably possible for the development of contracts with disadvantaged…

(a) The department of economic and community development adopts as its official policy the principle of open records and, unless otherwise provided by this section, the information and documents maintained, received or produced by such department shall be open for inspection by t…

(a) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the department of economic and community development shall execute a separate agreement in conjunction with any grant or loan contract awarded pursuant to § 4-3-717(d)(1) that reserves the right of the department to recover the amount …

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the director of the office of business enterprise, created by § 4-26-101, may, in the discretion of the commissioner, serve as a full, voting member of each committee, board, task force, group or other entity that is formally or informally…

(a) The department of economic and community development is authorized and directed to provide all necessary and appropriate administrative assistance, support, and guidance to facilitate strategy development and coordinated implementation by the Tennessee HBCU consortium and the…

(a) There is created the Tennessee-Ireland trade commission, referred to in this section as the “commission”. (b) The commission is composed of the following eleven (11) members:(1) Two (2) members of the senate, one (1) from each party, to be appointed by the speaker of the sena…

(1) Energy efficiency and environmental building standards adopted by the state or by local jurisdictions:(1) May include the use of a sheathing with factory applied radiant barrier with an emissivity rating of five one hundredths (0.05) or less or a sheet radiant barrier with an…

The state delegates to the department of economic and community development the authority to allocate on behalf of the state the portions of the national recovery zone economic development bond limitation and the national recovery zone facility bond limitation, as the national re…

(a) (1) As an incentive to encourage the creation of more small businesses in this state by making access to essential information necessary to begin a business user friendly, the department of economic and community development, in consultation with the office of small business …

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Made in Tennessee Act.” (b) The purpose of this section is to encourage producers and promotion of nonagricultural products made in this state. (c) The University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services may:(1) Use a lo…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Community benefits agreement” means an agreement or understanding of any type between an employer and a community group, organization, or other third-party, other than the state, that:(A) Contractually binds the employer to fund or provide specifi…

There is hereby created the department of education.

(a) The chief executive officer of the department of education shall be the commissioner of education. (b) The commissioner shall be a person of literary and scientific attainments and of skill and experience in school administration. The commissioner shall also be qualified to t…

The department of education shall have its offices in the state capitol and its commissioner is vested with such powers and required to perform such duties as are set forth in title 49, and is charged with the administration of such laws as the general assembly from time to time …

(a) The commissioner of each department under chapter 3 of this title, with the approval of the governor, has the authority to consolidate any two (2) or more offices within the commissioner's department, or reduce the number of divisions, or create new divisions therein. (b) Not…

(a) The governor has the authority to transfer any functions between the departments created and established by chapter 3 of this title, except to or from the department of audit, in the interest of a more economical and efficient state service. (b) The governor shall make each s…

The commissioner of each department is empowered to prescribe regulations, not inconsistent with the law, for the government of the commissioner's department, the conduct of its employees, the distribution and performance of its business, and the custody, use and preservation of …

(a) Each department shall maintain a central office at the capitol, which shall be the official residence of each commissioner, or head of department. (b) The commissioner of each department may, in the commissioner's discretion and with the approval of the governor, establish an…

(a) (1) Each department shall be opened for the transaction of public business from eight o'clock in the morning (8:00 a.m.) until four thirty in the afternoon (4:30 p.m.) of each day except Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.(2) Except for those personnel required to be on du…

Except as may be provided in this chapter, such officers, assistants and employees as may be necessary to carry on the work of each department of the state government shall be appointed by the commissioner or administrative head of such department from the list of eligibles furni…

The governor may strike from the state payroll any state employee appointed by the governor or the governor's appointee, and may fix, increase or decrease the salary of such employee. The salaries of the commissioners and other officers as set out in § 8-23-101 shall be fixed as …

(a) A blanket surety bond shall be obtained covering all officers and employees of every department, agency, office, commission, institution, institution of higher education, and instrumentality of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of state government, except senat…

Whenever, in the carrying on of the work of any department, the services of any expert, or the use of any special apparatus shall be desired, or any work needs to be done for which the department is not equipped, the commissioner thereof may request the assistance of any other de…

When costs provided in § 4-4-109 have been incurred between departments, the commissioners thereof shall, from time to time, certify to the commissioner of finance and administration the sums due from the one to the other on account of such work, and the commissioner of finance a…

(a) When a department of state government or division of any department of state government renders services that are directly or indirectly incident to the duties of another department, then the department rendering such service may be reimbursed for the service by the other dep…

(a) (1) Two (2) or more departments shall unite in cooperative work in lines germane to the duties of those departments, and the commissioners thereof shall agree on the distribution of the expense to be incurred.(2) The agreement shall include the payment or transfer from one de…

(a) (1) Any department of state government may accept and use federal aid, as defined in § 4-4-116, from any agency or instrumentality of the federal government for purposes of carrying on programs in which such department may be authorized to engage if:(A) The acceptance of fede…

(a) (1) The head of each administrative department, established by chapter 3 of this title, and the state treasurer, the secretary of state and the adjutant general, unless otherwise provided in this title, shall annually, on or before October 1, report in writing to the governor…

(a) In the event of the absence, illness or disability of any commissioner or the head of any department, division or agency of the executive department of state government, the governor is authorized and empowered to designate and appoint a qualified person to act in such capaci…

(a) For purposes of this section:(1) “Federal aid” means financial assistance from the United States government, whether by grant, loan, cooperative agreement, or other means, offered or available to this state through executive order of the United States president or any act of …

(a) Notwithstanding the rights, powers and duties that have heretofore been vested in or exercised by any officer, board, commission, department, or other agency of state government to the contrary, the governor has the authority and is hereby empowered to transfer any functions …

(a) The commissioner of each department of the executive branch of state government is authorized, in the commissioner's discretion, to employ a reading assistant or assistants for any blind employee in the commissioner's department, to serve without compensation from such depart…

Each department, agency, office, commission, institution, or instrumentality of the executive branch must accept the electronic transmission of any document that could have been submitted by fax or facsimile prior to January 1, 2026.

(a) (1) The commissioner of finance and administration and the comptroller of the treasury shall establish procedures for the writing-off of uncollectable accounts receivable by all state agencies, departments and institutions that charge the public, create a debt to the state, a…

(a) Smoking shall be prohibited in all buildings that are owned or operated by the state, except for those sleeping rooms in state park inns, cabins that are designated as smoking rooms or cabins, and as provided by § 49-7-135. It is the intent of the general assembly that all bu…

(a) No branch, department, agency or other subdivision of state government shall terminate, dismiss, demote or take any other disciplinary action against an employee of such entity who is the victim of a criminal offense solely because such employee takes any lawful action to cau…

(a) Each entity of state government that is subject to the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 (20 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.), and regulations promulgated pursuant to Title IX, shall develop a Title IX implementation plan with participation by protected b…

(a) The governor shall appoint an executive internal auditor, who shall serve at the pleasure of the governor. (b) (1) The executive internal auditor shall:(A) Develop comprehensive internal audit standards for executive branch agencies, which shall:(i) Incorporate the Standards …

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Regulatory board” means any state board, commission, council, committee, or similar entity or body established by statute or rule that issues any license, certificate, registration, certification, permit, or other similar document for an occupatio…

This chapter may be cited as the “Uniform Administrative Procedures Act.”

(1) As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Administrative judge” means an agency member, agency employee or employee or official of the office of the secretary of state, licensed to practice law and authorized by law to conduct contested case proceedi…

(a) (1) This chapter shall not be construed as in derogation of the common law, but as remedial legislation designed to clarify and bring uniformity to the procedure of state administrative agencies and judicial review of their determination and shall be applied accordingly.(2) A…

(a) The governor may exempt an agency from complying with any provision of this chapter where necessary to conform to any provisions of federal law or rules and regulations as a condition to the receipt of federal granted funds provided that:(1) The governor determines that, beca…

Except to the extent precluded by another provision of law, informal settlement of matters that may make unnecessary more elaborate proceedings under this chapter is encouraged. Agencies may establish specific procedures for attempting and executing informal settlement of matters…

(a) This chapter shall not apply to the military, the governor, the general assembly, the state building commission, the state funding board or the courts, nor shall it apply to county and municipal boards, commissions, committees, departments or officers. (b) Disciplinary and jo…

Unless otherwise provided by statute, no state board, commission or department composed of two (2) or more members or commissioners shall make any rule or declaratory rulings or finally determine any contested case, as the terms “rule” and “contested case” are defined in this cha…