Terms Used In Tennessee Code > Title 4 > Chapter 31 > Part 1 - General Provisions

• Accumulated contributions: means the sum of all the amounts deducted from the compensation of a member, together with any amount transferred to the account of the member established pursuant to chapters 34-37 of this title from the respective account of the member under one (1) or more of the superseded systems, with interest thereon, as provided in §. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
• 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.
• Agreement: means the federal-state agreement between the federal agency and the state of Tennessee entered into on August 16, 1951, as authorized by the Social Security Enabling Act for the purpose of extending coverage under Title II of the Social Security Act (42 U. See Tennessee Code 8-38-101
• Agricultural development loan program: means the authority's program of providing loans to lenders or purchasing loans from lenders for the purpose of making funds available for the financing of agricultural enterprises. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Agricultural enterprise: means the acquisition, reconstruction or improvement of land or buildings or other improvements thereto, or any combination thereof, and any breeding stock and machinery or equipment necessary or suitable for use in farming, ranching, the production of agricultural commodities, including the products of agriculture and silviculture, or necessary and suitable for treating, processing, storing or transporting raw agricultural commodities. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Agriculture: means :
  (i) The land, buildings and machinery used in the commercial production of farm products and nursery stock. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attorney general: means the attorney general and reporter and any assistant thereto by whatever name known, any district attorney general and any assistant thereto by whatever name called, and any officer or full-time employee of the general assembly or any committee thereof established by statute, who is duly licensed to practice law in Tennessee, whose duty it is to provide facilities for drafting bills or to assist individual legislators in drafting bills or who renders legal advice and services to the members of the general assembly or committees thereof. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
• Authority: means the Tennessee local development authority, a public agency and instrumentality of the state, created by this chapter, or if such authority shall be abolished, the board, body, commission or agency succeeding to the principal functions thereof or to which the powers and duties granted or imposed upon the authority shall be given by law. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• board: means the board provided for in part 3 of this chapter. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
• Bond: means any bond authorized and issued pursuant to this chapter. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Capital project: means the same as "public works project" as defined in §. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Code: includes the Tennessee Code and all amendments and revisions to the code and all additions and supplements to the code. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Commissioner of social security: includes any individual to whom the commissioner of social security has delegated any of the commissioner's functions under the Social Security Act (42 U. See Tennessee Code 8-38-101
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Creditable service: means prior service plus membership service, as provided in part 6 of this chapter. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
• Date of establishment: means the date as of which the retirement system is established as provided in §. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Department: means the department of environment and conservation, or, if the department shall be abolished, the board, body, commission or agency succeeding to the principal functions thereof or to which the powers and duties granted or imposed upon the department shall be given by law. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Employee: includes an officer of a state or political subdivision thereof. See Tennessee Code 8-38-101
• Employer: means the state, a political subdivision, or a local instrumentality of either. See Tennessee Code 8-38-101
• Employment: means any service performed by an employee in the employ of the state, or any political subdivision thereof, for such employer, except:
  (A) Service which, in the absence of an agreement entered into under this chapter, would constitute "employment" as defined in the Social Security Act. See Tennessee Code 8-38-101
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Federal Insurance Contributions Act: means chapter 21 of the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (26 U. See Tennessee Code 8-38-101
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Industrial development authority: means the Tennessee industrial development authority, or, if the industrial development authority shall be abolished, the board, body, commission or agency succeeding to the principal functions thereof or to which the powers and duties granted or imposed upon the industrial development authority shall be given by law. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. ^{Source: OCC}
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Lender: means any federal or state chartered bank, federal land bank, production credit association, bank for cooperatives, federal or state chartered savings and loan association or building and loan association, insurance company, or mortgage loan company. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Loan program agreement: means a contractual arrangement by and between a local government unit and the authority pursuant to and in accordance with part 4 of this chapter providing for loans to such local government units for the purpose of paying the cost of the construction of capital projects and a contractual arrangement by and between a local government unit and the state acting by and through the department, pursuant to and in accordance with [former] title 68, chapter 211, part 4 [repealed], or title 68, chapter 221, parts 2 and 5 providing for loans to such local government unit for the purpose of paying the cost of the construction of sewage treatment works, waterworks, or energy recovery facilities and/or solid waste resource recovery facilities, as the case may be, which loans are made or are to be made from the proceeds of bonds or notes issued pursuant to this chapter. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Local government unit: means any county, metropolitan government, incorporated town or city, or special district of the state, water/wastewater authority or any energy authority created by an act of the general assembly. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Member: means any person included in the membership of the retirement system, as provided in chapter 35, part 1 of this title. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Note: means any note authorized and issued pursuant to this chapter. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Political subdivision: includes an instrumentality of a state, or one (1) or more of its political subdivisions, including the Tennessee Municipal League, the Tennessee School Boards Association and the Tennessee County Services Association, or of a state and one (1) or more of its political subdivisions, but only if such instrumentality is a juristic entity which is legally separate and distinct from the state or subdivision and only if its employees are not by virtue of their relation to such juristic entity employees of the state or subdivision. See Tennessee Code 8-38-101
• Pollution: means the placing of any noxious or deleterious substances, including noise, in any air or water or land of or adjacent to the state or affecting the physical, chemical or biological properties of any air or waters or land of or adjacent to the state in a manner and to an extent that renders or is likely to render such air or waters or land inimical or harmful to the public health, safety or welfare, or to animal, bird or aquatic life, or to the use of such air or waters or land for domestic, industrial, agricultural or recreational purposes. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Pollution control facilities: means any equipment, structure or facility or any land and any building, structure, facility or other improvement thereon, or any combination thereof, and all real and personal property deemed necessary therewith having to do with or the end purpose of which is the control, abatement or prevention of water, air, noise or general environmental pollution, including, but not limited to, any air pollution control facility, noise abatement facility, water management facility, waste water collecting system, waste water treatment works, or solid waste disposal facility. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Prior service: means service rendered prior to the date of membership in the retirement system for which credit was given under the terms of one (1) or more of the superseded systems as provided in part 6 of this chapter. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
• Program loans: means loans or grants made to a local government unit by the state that are required to be repaid pursuant to a loan program agreement. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• Retirement: means withdrawal from membership with a retirement allowance granted under chapters 34-37 of this title. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
• Retirement system: means the Tennessee consolidated retirement system as defined in §. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
• Savings and loan association: includes a building and loan association, a federal or state savings and loan association, a federal savings bank, and any other financial institution, the accounts of which are insured by the [former] federal savings and loan insurance corporation (FSLIC) or any successor [repealed] of such corporation. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Service: means service as a general employee, a teacher, a state police officer, a wildlife officer, a firefighter, a police officer, a state judge, a county judge, an attorney general, a commissioner or a county official which is paid for by an employer, and also includes service for which a former member of the general assembly is entitled to under former §. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
• Small business concern: means an enterprise that constitutes a "small business concern" under federal law and the criteria used by the administrator of the small business administration of the United States as the same may be amended from time to time. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Small business financing agreement: means a lease, sublease or loan agreement entered into between a small business concern and the authority, the payments under which have been guaranteed by the small business administration of the United States or any other agency thereof. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Social Security Act: means the act of congress approved August 14, 1935, chapter 531, 49 Stat. See Tennessee Code 8-38-101
• State: means the state of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
• State: means the state of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• State agency: means the state old age and survivors insurance agency. See Tennessee Code 8-38-101
• State loan programs: means the activities and policies undertaken by the state pursuant to title 68, chapter 221, part 2 to provide assistance to local government units by making grants that are required to be repaid for the construction of sewage treatment works, or pursuant to title 68, chapter 221, part 5, to provide assistance to local government units by making loans for the construction of waterworks, or pursuant to [former] title 68, chapter 211, part 4 [repealed], to provide assistance to local government units by making loans for the construction of energy recovery facilities or solid waste resource recovery facilities, or both, or pursuant to part 4 of this chapter to provide assistance to local government units by making loans for the construction of capital projects. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• State-shared taxes: means taxes imposed and collected by the state pursuant to law and allocated by law to local government units, whether allocated for a particular purpose or for the general use of such local government units. See Tennessee Code 4-31-102
• Student: means any person enrolled in a course of study in a school or in a post-secondary educational institution who as a condition of such enrollment is employed in a full-time position. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Wages: means all remuneration for employment, regardless of the medium in which paid, which would constitute wages within the meaning of the Social Security Act, as amended. See Tennessee Code 8-38-101
• written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105