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Tennessee Professional Geologists Licensing Program
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Tennessee Professional Soil Scientists Licensing Program
Notice of Public Chapter 921 and Public Chapter 815
Pursuant to Tenn. Code. Ann. § 4-3-1306(d), you are receiving this notice because you have elected to receive notification by e-mail of certain changes or potential changes to the law applicable to your profession. As such, please accept this email to notify you of the passage of Public Chapters 921 and 815.
Public Chapter No. 921, amends Title 62, Chapters 18 and Chapter 36, relative to regulatory funds. This Act combines the geologist and soil scientist regulatory funds. Public Chapter 921 has been signed into law and takes effect July 1, 2014. A copy of this new law is available for review on the website of the Tennessee General Assembly at http://www.tn.gov/sos/acts/108/pub/pc0921.pdf.
Public Chapter No. 815, amends Title 40, Chapter 29, relative to restoration of citizenship. This Act allows certain persons beginning on January 1, 2015, who have had their rights of citizenship restored to petition the court for a certificate of employability. If a person obtains such a certificate, an agency may not deny the issuance, restoration or renewal of an occupational license solely on the person’s past record of criminal activity but, instead, must consider each such applicant on a case-by-case basis. The certificate of employability preempts any existing rule that authorizes or requires the denial or refusal to issue, restore or renew a license based on the person’s past record of criminal history; however, any agency may promulgate new rules which allow or require such a denial or refusal to issue, restore or renew a license notwithstanding the certificate based on the time elapsed since the criminal offense or the nature of the offense having a direct bearing on the fitness or ability to perform any duty or responsibility necessarily related to the sought license. Further, employers that hire individuals holding a certificate of employability may be provided with defenses to certain civil actions based on such hiring. This law became effective on April 28, 2014. A copy of the new law is available for review on the website of the Tennessee General Assembly at http://state.tn.us/sos/acts/108/pub/pc0815.pdf
If you have any questions or concerns about these laws, please contact Donna Moulder, Administrative Director for the Tennessee Professional Geologists Licensing Program and the Tennessee Professional Soil Scientists Licensing Program, at 615-741-3611 or electronically at donna.moulder@tn.gov.
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