On Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, NCRA Government Relations was informed by our members in Tennessee that the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (hereinafter “the Department”) again intends to recommend the termination of licensure in Tennessee and the sunset of the Tennessee Board of Court Reporting, the licensing and regulatory authority for court reporting in Tennessee. The Department announced that it will be soliciting public comments until the close of business on January 12, 2024. You may view the official notice here.
Some Background Information: In October 2023, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance noted: “After extensive review and conversations with other stakeholders, the Department has determined that the board does not demonstrate a clear need to be continued and that adequate consumer protections exist outside the board’s regulatory scope. As such, the Department will be requesting that the board be allowed to sunset…”
The Department made this recommendation before the Tennessee General Assembly’s Commerce, Labor, Transportation, and Agriculture Subcommittee of the Joint Government Operations Committee. However, the Subcommittee indicated that the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance is first required to hold a public comment period and public hearing to review comments prior to making a recommendation of sunset to the Tennessee General Assembly.
In the last 48 hours, NCRA Government Relations has:
- Created a VoterVoice Campaign in our NCRA Action Advocacy Center about the potential termination of licensure and sunset.
- Drafted an official opposition comment from NCRA President Kristin M. Anderson, M.A., RPR, FCRR, to the Joint Subcommittee about our concerns.
- Drafted a sample opposition comment and included bullet points from the Tennessee Court Reporters Association to use and edit when submitting your written comments.
- Urged NCRA members and nonmembers to also send their comments to the Joint Tennessee General Assembly’s Commerce, Labor, Transportation, and Agriculture Subcommittee of the Joint Government Operations Committee and provided the email addresses of all elected members sitting on the Committee for your convenience.
- Notified every contact in NCRA’s complete database of the potential termination of licensure and sunset through an action alert email.
- Enlisted the crucial help of the NCRA National Congress of State Associations (NCSA) and NCRA State Leaders to engage in our grassroots campaign.
- Notified individuals through NCRA’s social media platforms.
What you can do:
- We need you to submit public comments to the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance and contact the Joint Tennessee General Assembly’s Commerce, Labor, Transportation, and Agriculture Subcommittee of the Joint Government Operations Committee so we can prevent the termination of licensure and the sunset of the Board of Court Reporting in Tennessee. Please visit the NCRA Action Advocacy Center now to learn more.
