AI-assisted research summary: This section creates a contractor licensing board and sets who may serve on it, how the governor appoints members, when a member must be removed for attendance failures, and lobbyist-related restrictions for board members.
There is created a state board for licensing contractors, called the “board” in this part, to be appointed by the governor. The board shall be composed of nine (9) members, all of whom shall be residents of this state and at least three (3) of whom shall be actively engaged as residential contractors and shall compose the residential review board to consider and handle all informal conferences pertaining to residential construction, at least two (2) of whom shall be actively engaged as commercial building contractors, at least one (1) of whom shall be actively engaged as a mechanical contractor, at least one (1) of whom shall be actively engaged as an electrical contractor, at least one (1) of whom shall be actively engaged as a highway, railroad or airport contractor, and at least one (1) of whom shall be a person who is not engaged as a contractor in any county of this state and has no commercial or professional association with the residential contracting profession or industry, either directly or indirectly. All board members who are required to be in the business of contracting shall have been actively engaged in the business for a period of no less than ten (10) years immediately preceding their appointment and shall be licensed in the classification in which the member is serving upon the board. There shall be no more than one (1) board member in any specific classification provided in this subdivision (a)(1) residing within any one (1) grand division of this state and no more than three (3) board members residing in any one (1) grand division. In making appointments to the board, the governor shall strive to ensure that at least one (1) person serving on the board is sixty (60) years of age or older and that at least one (1) person serving on the board is a member of a racial minority. The governor shall appoint the residential contractor members from lists of qualified persons submitted by interested home builder groups including, but not limited to, the Home Builders Association of Tennessee, Inc. Appointments made pursuant to this subdivision (a)(2) shall be made by the governor following the expiration of the respective terms of the members serving on the board as of July 1, 2014. The governor shall consult with interested home builder groups to determine qualified persons to fill positions on the board. Any member who misses more than fifty percent (50%) of the scheduled meetings in a calendar year shall be removed as a member of the board. The executive director of the board shall promptly notify, or cause to be notified, the appointing authority of any member who fails to satisfy the attendance requirement as prescribed in subdivision (b)(1). All subsequent appointments of successor members shall be made by the governor at the expiration of the respective terms of the members in the way and manner provided by this part. Notwithstanding § 3-6-304 or any other law to the contrary, and in addition to all other requirements for membership on the board: Any person registered as a lobbyist pursuant to the registration requirements of title 3, chapter 6 who is subsequently appointed or otherwise named as a member of the board shall terminate all employment and business association as a lobbyist with any entity whose business endeavors or professional activities are regulated by the board, prior to serving as a member of the board. This subdivision (d)(1)(A) shall apply to all persons appointed or otherwise named to the board after July 1, 2010; No person who is a member of the board shall be permitted to register or otherwise serve as a lobbyist pursuant to title 3, chapter 6 for any entity whose business endeavors or professional activities are regulated by the board during such person's period of service as a member of the board. This subdivision (d)(1)(B) shall apply to all persons appointed or otherwise named to the board after July 1, 2010, and to all persons serving on the board on such date who are not registered as lobbyists; and No person who serves as a member of the board shall be employed as a lobbyist by any entity whose business endeavors or professional activities are regulated by the board for one (1) year following the date such person's service on the board ends. This subdivision (d)(1)(C) shall apply to persons serving on the board as of July 1, 2010, and to persons appointed to the board subsequent to such date. A person who violates this subsection (d) shall be subject to the penalties prescribed in title 3, chapter 6. The bureau of ethics and campaign finance is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this subsection (d). All such rules and regulations shall be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, and in accordance with the procedure for initiating and proposing rules by the ethics commission to the bureau of ethics and campaign finance as prescribed in § 4-55-103.