2023 Tennessee Code › Title 8 - PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES (§§ 8-1-101 — 65-168) › Chapter 50 - MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS (§§ 8-50-NEW — 8-50-1301) › Part 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS (§§ 8-50-NEW — 8-50-120) › Section 8-50-114 - Continuing education - Limited waiver of tuition and fees

(a)
(1)
Full-time employees of the state are eligible for enrollment in up to four (4) courses per academic year at any state-supported college or university, college of applied technology, or the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute without paying tuition charges, maintenance fees, student activity fees, registration fees, or online course fees for courses taken through the regents online degree programs. A course for which the waiver is granted shall consist of no more than four (4) credit hours or one hundred twenty (120) clock hours, and the waiver shall be used for only one (1) course at a time. The availability of waivers of online course fees for courses taken through the regents online degree program shall be limited each year by the amount of funds specifically appropriated for such online course fee waivers in the general appropriations act.
(2)
For purposes of this section, current members of the general assembly shall be considered as full-time employees of the state.
(b)
Enrollment privileges may be limited or denied by the college, university, college of applied technology or Tennessee Foreign Language Institute on an individual basis according to space availability. Enrollment under this section is on a first-come, first-served basis. No tuition-paying student shall be denied enrollment in a course because of a state employee enrollment pursuant to this section.
(c)
Courses taken under this section are governed by the academic rules and regulations of the institution or school offering the course or courses.
(d)
This section does not diminish or affect in any way the rights provided to full-time employees of the state university and community college system and the University of Tennessee in §
49-7-116
.
(e)
The Tennessee higher education commission is hereby directed, authorized and empowered to promulgate and adopt such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement this section, including rules and regulations for the allocation of appropriations specifically appropriated for the implementation of this section.
(f)
(1)
The number of students permitted to attend classes beyond the limits established in this section or in the general appropriations act for any fiscal year shall be discounted from the effects of the higher education funding formula by the Tennessee higher education commission.
(2)
Any reimbursements to the state-supported colleges, universities or area vocational-technical schools for the enrollments provided by this section shall be limited to those funds specifically appropriated for that purpose in the general appropriations act. Such reimbursement shall be limited to assessed charges and fees of enrollment.
(3)
Any reimbursement to the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute for enrollments provided by this section shall be limited to those funds specifically appropriated for the fee waiver and fee discount programs authorized by this section and §§
8-50-115
and
49-7-119
.
(g)
Eligible employees may apply the cost equivalent of the full waiver credit toward payment for a class exceeding four (4) credit hours or one hundred twenty (120) clock hours.
(h)
Full-time employees of the state eligible for a waiver of tuition and fees pursuant to this section who are required to work more hours each week than typically required of full-time employment for at least four (4) weeks per year shall be exempt from the requirement that the waiver be used for only one (1) course at a time. Certification of eligibility for this exemption shall be completed by the applicant's employer at the time of application for the waiver. Nothing in this subsection (h) shall allow an employee to exceed enrollment in more than four (4) courses per academic year.
Amended by 2016 Tenn. Acts, ch. 700, s 1, eff. 6/1/2016.
Amended by 2014 Tenn. Acts, ch. 959,s 2, eff. 7/1/2014.
Amended by 2014 Tenn. Acts, ch. 959,s 1, eff. 7/1/2014.
Amended by 2013 Tenn. Acts, ch. 473, s 9, eff. 7/1/2013.
Acts 1990, ch. 1047, § 1; 2004, ch. 883, §§ 1, 2; 2007 , ch. 554, § 1.