(a) The governor shall personally affix the governor’s signature to bills, joint resolutions, executive orders or veto messages, and to reprieves, pardons and commutations.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 8-1-109

  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. Source: OCC
  • State: means the state of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
  • Veto: The procedure established under the Constitution by which the President/Governor refuses to approve a bill or joint resolution and thus prevents its enactment into law. A regular veto occurs when the President/Governor returns the legislation to the house in which it originated. The President/Governor usually returns a vetoed bill with a message indicating his reasons for rejecting the measure. In Congress, the veto can be overridden only by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House.
(b)

(1) In the event the governor is physically incapacitated due to health or is out of the state on official business and is unable to sign those items enumerated in subsection (a), the governor may authorize a power of attorney to an individual for a specified period of time for the purpose of affixing the governor’s signature to such items.
(2) If the governor is physically incapacitated due to health and unable to sign such items, the power of attorney shall be accompanied by a physician’s affidavit that the governor is physically incapacitated due to health and is unable to personally sign such items.
(3) The power of attorney shall only be for the affixing of the governor’s signature and not for the decision of approval or nonapproval of such items. It is the express intent of this section that the governor may delegate only the affixing of the governor’s signature and not the decision of approval or nonapproval of such items.
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