Tennessee § 3-6-304 - Restrictions on lobbying.

§ 3-6-304. Restrictions on lobbying.

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 tacit understanding that the official's vote, official action or judgment would be influenced thereby. No employer of a lobbyist or lobbyist shall knowingly make or cause to be made any false statement or misrepresentation of the facts concerning any matter for which the lobbyist is registered to lobby to any official in the legislative or executive branch. No official in the legislative or executive branch, or a member of the official's staff or immediate family, shall solicit or accept anything of value in violation of subsection (a). No lobbyist shall make a loan of money to a candidate for public office, official in the legislative or executive branch, or to anyone on their behalf. No candidate for public office, official in the legislative or executive branch, or a member of the official's staff or immediate family, shall solicit or accept a loan in violation of subsection (d). No employer of a lobbyist, lobbyist or any person acting at the direction of an employer or lobbyist shall pay or agree to pay a candidate for public office or official in the legislative or executive branch compensation for property or services substantially in excess of that charged in the ordinary course of business. No employer of a lobbyist, lobbyist or any person acting at the direction of an employer or lobbyist shall permit a candidate for public office, official in the legislative or executive branch or a staff member, or a member of the candidate or official's immediate family, to use the credit or credit card of the employer or lobbyist or any other credit card over which the employer or the lobbyist has control. Except to the extent permissible under § 3-6-305, no employer of a lobbyist, lobbyist or any person acting at the direction of an employer or lobbyist shall pay the lodging expenses of an official in the legislative or executive branch or immediate family of the official. No employer of a lobbyist or multicandidate political campaign committee controlled by an employer of a lobbyist shall make any campaign contribution to a candidate for the office of governor or member of the general assembly during any regular annual session or any extraordinary session of the general assembly. No lobbyist shall offer or make any campaign contribution, including any in-kind contribution, to or on behalf of the governor, any judge or chancellor, or any member of the general assembly, or any candidate for the office of governor, supreme court judge, court of appeals judge, court of criminal appeals judge, circuit court judge, chancellor, juvenile court judge, general sessions judge, state senator, or state representative. No employer of a lobbyist shall offer or pay and no lobbyist shall solicit or accept any fee, compensation or bonus for lobbying wherein the amount of the fee, compensation or bonus is contingent upon achievement of an outcome deemed to be successful for the employer. No member of the general assembly, elected official in the executive branch, member of the governor's cabinet, or cabinet level staff within the governor's office shall be a lobbyist during the twelve-month period immediately following departure from such office or employment. No lobbyist shall serve as a member of any board, commission or governmental entity of state government having jurisdiction to regulate the business endeavors or professional activities of any employer of the lobbyist; nor shall any lobbyist serve as a member of the state election commission or any county election commission; provided, that this prohibition does not apply to a lobbyist serving on an election commission on February 15, 2006, as long as the lobbyist continuously serves as a member of that commission. No official in the legislative or executive branch shall accept travel expenses, meals or lodging paid pursuant to § 2-10-116(a), if payment of the travel expenses, meals or lodging violates this section or constitutes a prohibited gift under § 3-6-305. Acts 2006 (1st Ex. Sess.), ch. 1, § 35; 2015, ch. 280, § 1. 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.” Acts 2006 (1st Ex. Sess.), ch. 1, § 53 provides that this section shall take effect on February 15, 2006, the public welfare requiring it; and, notwithstanding any provision of this act or any other law to the contrary, from February 15, 2006, through September 30, 2006, the registry of election finance shall implement and enforce §§ 3-6-304 and 3-6-305 , in the same manner and to the same extent that the ethics commission is authorized to implement and enforce such provisions on and after October 1, 2006. Amendments. The 2015 amendment rewrote (j), which read: “No lobbyist shall offer or make any campaign contribution, including any in-kind contribution, to or on behalf of the governor or any member of the general assembly or any candidate for the office of governor, state senator or state representative.” Effective Dates. Acts 2015, ch. 280, § 2. April 28, 2015. Collateral References. Validity, construction, and application of state and municipal enactments regulating lobbying and of lobbying contracts. 35 A.L.R.6th 1.