TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Aug 30, 2024

Tennessee Ethics Commission members reviewed an ethics complaint against Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds in a closed-door session on Thursday, the Tennesean reports. The complaint, filed by Rep. Caleb Hemmer, D-Nashville, alleges that Reynolds accepted paid travel from her former employer ExcelinEd for two out-of-state trips after being named to the state position. After the complaint surfaced, Reynolds repaid approximately $2,000 in travel expenses and was reimbursed by the state. Reynolds’ attorney argues that the travel was covered by ExcelinEd, not ExcelinEd Action, and thus was not a violation of the law. In a letter to the commission, Hemmer criticized Reynolds’ repayment as a reactive measure rather than a genuine correction, citing previous issues with tuition reimbursements as evidence of a pattern of non-compliance. He also is calling for formal reprimands and civil penalties to address and deter the alleged unethical behavior.