Tennessee Ethics Commission waives some late-filing assessments, orders penalties for others

The Tennessee Ethics Commission voted Thursday to waive late-filing assessments for several state officials and to assess civil penalties against multiple lobbyists, employers of lobbyists and two public defenders who failed to file or pay required reports.

Executive Director Bill Young told the commission that three state officials — listed in meeting materials as Bell (Judge Johnson), Armstrong and Vicky Hodge Hoover — had filed required statements late and recommended “no action” beyond noting compliance. The commission voted to waive any civil assessments on those three.

Young also told the commission that Amanda Dunn and Jim Kyle had filed late and, given medical and retirement circumstances in Kyle’s case, recommended no action; the commission approved that recommendation.

Young recommended assessing the standard $1,000 civil penalty on two public defenders, Leif Jeffers and Jeffrey Kelly, for failure to file; the commission approved the assessment while granting the executive director authority to waive the penalty if it is later determined the filing was not required or the filing is completed by 12/31/2025.

The meeting then examined multiple lobbyist and employer filings under the commission’s registration and expenditure-reporting rules. Young said some lobbyists and employers had paid required fees or filed late expenditure reports during the meeting (“late-breaking news”), and he recommended no action in those cases; the commission approved those dismissals. For others who remained noncompliant, Young recommended maximum statutory civil penalties of $750 per violation to spur compliance and again asked that the executive director have authority to waive penalties if the fees were paid by the end of the calendar year or if the fees were later found not owed. The commission carried motions to assess $750 penalties on a number of named lobbyists and employers (see Actions below).

Young said he would report back at the next meeting on any filings that were subsequently cured and would provide a final year-end report on all waivers and assessments. He also said staff customarily notifies registered lobbyists when their employer has been assessed to encourage payment.

Why it matters: The commission’s routine enforcement of reporting and payment deadlines is intended to maintain transparency in lobbyist registration and financial disclosure. The board’s decisions mix penalty assessments to prompt compliance with discretion to avoid penalizing parties who promptly cure errors or who were not required to file.

Details and votes: The commission used voice votes for several waivers and assessments and used roll call when required by statute for civil-penalty assessments. When the commission assessed penalties for failure to file lobbying expenditure reports, a roll call was recorded with Commissioners Gilbert, McCain, Richardson and Chair White all voting “Aye.”

Staff follow-up: Young was asked to prepare public statements documenting any filings that are later waived or cured and to report a final summary at the end of the year. He also asked for authority to notify lobbyists when their employer has been assessed to encourage compliance.