Tennessee § 3-6-113 - Annual orientation ethics course and current issues course for members of the general assembly — Manuals and guides.

§ 3-6-113. Annual orientation ethics course and current issues course for members of the general assembly — Manuals and guides.

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 annual current issues course for members of the general assembly who have taken the orientation course. Such courses shall be offered on a date or dates when the general assembly is in session. The commission shall notify members in advance of the time and location of the courses. The orientation ethics course shall include, but not be limited to, laws administered and enforced by the commission, administrative regulations, relevant internal policies, specific technical and legal requirements, summaries of advisory opinions, underlying purposes and principles of ethics laws, examples of practical applications of ethics laws, and a question-and-answer participatory segment regarding common problems and situations. The current issues course shall include, but not be limited to, discussion of changes in relevant laws, administrative regulations, new advisory opinions, current ethical issues and situations, and development of problem-solving skills. Members of the general assembly shall attend the courses provided by the commission pursuant to subsection (a). However, a member may petition the commission to approve an ethics course other than a course offered by the commission to fulfill the current issues course requirement. In addition to any other manuals or guides prepared and published by the commission, the commission shall provide a manual for members of the general assembly that includes ethics statutes and administrative regulations relevant to members, explanations of purposes and principles underlying the laws, explanations of technical and specific legal requirements, examples of practical applications of the laws and principles, a question-and-answer section regarding common problems and situations, summaries of advisory opinions, and any other information that would inform members about ethics laws and regulations and assist them in applying those laws and regulations to specific situations. The manual may be distributed to members of the general assembly, and shall be made available to the public, by posting the manual in pdf format on the commission's web site. Acts 2006 (1st Ex. Sess.), ch. 1, § 26. Compiler's Notes. Acts 2006 (1st Ex. Sess.), ch. 1, § 1 provided that the act is and may be cited as the “Comprehensive Governmental Ethics Reform Act of 2006.”