Section 8-17-105 - Adoption of models of ethical standards(a) The municipal technical advisory service (MTAS) for municipalities, the county technical assistance service (CTAS) for counties, and the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA) for school districts, in order to provide guidance and direction, shall disseminate models of ethical standards for officials and employees of those entities. The models shall be filed with the commission. Any municipality, county or school district that adopts the ethical standards for officials and employees of local government or school districts promulgated by MTAS, CTAS or TSBA is not required to file the policy with the commission but shall notify the commission in writing that the policy promulgated by MTAS, CTAS or TSBA was adopted and the date the action was taken.(b)(1) In order to provide guidance and direction to water, wastewater, and gas authorities created by a private act or under the general law and to utility districts, the Tennessee Association of Utility Districts (TAUD) shall prepare a model of ethical standards for officials and employees of water, wastewater, and gas authorities created by private act or under the general law and of utility districts. The model must be submitted to the Tennessee board of utility regulation for its review and approval pursuant to § 7-82-702(a)(6). The board shall approve by order the TAUD model of ethical standards before the model is adopted by a water, wastewater, or gas authority created by a private act or under the general law or by a utility district. After the board approves the TAUD model, the TAUD model must be filed with the commission.(2) The governing body of a water, wastewater, or gas authority created by a private act or under the general law, or of a utility district, that adopts ethical standards for its officials and employees shall either adopt the TAUD model of ethical standards approved by the board or adopt ethical standards that are more stringent than the TAUD model. If a water, wastewater, or gas authority created by a private act or under the general law, or a utility district, adopts ethical standards that are different from and more stringent than the TAUD model, then the more stringent ethical standards must be submitted to the board, which shall make a finding by order that the ethical standards adopted are more stringent than the TAUD model.(3) [Deleted by 2023 amendment.](4) [Deleted by 2023 amendment.]Amended by 2023 Tenn. Acts, ch. 463, s 25, eff. 7/1/2023.Acts 2006 (1st Ex. Sess.), ch. 1, §49; 2007 , ch. 405, § 3; 2008 , ch. 898, § 2.