68-115-103 - Creation of athletic commission Appointments Quorum Conflict of Interest. - Tennessee Statutes

68-115-103. Creation of athletic commission Appointments Quorum Conflict of Interest.

(a)  There is created as an independent entity of state government the Tennessee athletic commission. For administrative purposes, the Tennessee athletic commission shall be attached to the department of commerce and insurance for all administrative matters relating to receipts, disbursements, budget, audit and other similarly related administrative items. The autonomy of the commission and its authority are not affected by this subsection (a), and the department shall have no administrative or supervisory control over the commission.

(b)  The commission shall consist of nine (9) members. Except for initial appointments, the term of office shall be four (4) years.

     (1)  One (1) member shall be a public member, to be appointed by the governor. The initial appointment shall be a four-year term.

     (2)  Two (2) members shall be licensed physicians with knowledge and experience in mixed martial arts, boxing or sports medicine, both to be appointed by the governor. One (1) member shall initially be appointed for a two-year term and one (1) member shall initially be appointed for a one-year term.

     (3)  Three (3) of the members shall have knowledge of and experience in boxing, with one (1) of the members to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, one (1) to be appointed by the speaker of the senate and one (1) to be appointed by the governor. The member to be appointed by the speaker of the senate shall initially be appointed to serve a three-year term, the member to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives shall initially be appointed to serve a two-year term and the member to be appointed by the governor shall initially be appointed to serve a four-year term.

     (4)  Three (3) of the members shall have knowledge of and experience in mixed martial arts, with one (1) of the members to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, one (1) to be appointed by the speaker of the senate and one (1) to be appointed by the governor. The member to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives shall initially be appointed to serve a four-year term, the member to be appointed by the speaker of the senate shall initially be appointed to serve a two-year term and the member to be appointed by the governor shall initially be appointed to serve a four-year term.

(c)  All commission members shall be resident citizens of this state and at least one (1) member of the commission shall reside in each grand division of the state.

(d)  In making appointments to the commission, the governor and the speakers of the senate and the house of representatives shall each endeavor to appoint at least one (1) member who is either a racial minority or a female.

(e)  In making appointments to the commission, the appointing authorities shall be provided written proof of experience by all candidates for membership on the commission.

(f)  A member of the commission who is appointed to an initial term of three (3) years or less may be reappointed for up to one (1) additional four-year term. Members whose initial appointments are for four (4) years and members who have been reappointed to a four-year term shall not be reappointed for four (4) years from the date the member's term expires.

(g)  Five (5) members of the commission shall constitute a quorum for the exercise of the authority conferred upon the commission, and a concurrence of at least three (3) of the members shall be necessary if only five (5) members are present to render a choice or a decision by the commission. If more than five (5) members are present, a concurrence of a majority of the members present shall be necessary to render a choice or a decision by the commission.

(h)  No member of the commission or any member of a commissioner's immediate family shall, at any time during the commissioner's service as a member of the commission or for one (1) year after the commissioner's term expires or the commissioner resigns as a member, be employed by a promoter of or promote any professional contest of unarmed combat, or have any financial interest in the promotion or sponsorship of those unarmed professional contests of unarmed combat. This subsection (h) shall not apply to immediate family members who compete as combatants in a professional contest of unarmed combat or who may compete as combatants in an amateur event of unarmed combat if regulated by the commission pursuant to § 68-115-213.

(i)  No member of the commission shall receive any complimentary tickets, nor shall any member of a commissioner's immediate family receive any complimentary tickets for such professional contests.

(j)  As a member of the commission, the commission members are officials in the executive branch as defined in § 3-6-301.

[Acts 2008, ch. 1149, § 2.]