The Tennessee Board of Court Reporting met on August 6, 2010. The minutes will be posted as soon as they are approved. Of particular note is the following action:
The Board has not promulgated any stipulation page nor has the Board approved any stipulation page. We are not offering any comment about the appropriateness or legality of any stipulation page at this time.
As you may know, the General Assembly enacted Public Chapter 450 in 2009, which requires that all court reporters be licensed to engage in the practice of court reporting after July 1, 2010. This was amended by Public Chapter 1123 in 2010, altering some of the grandfathering provisions and other Board functions and processes. It is also important to note that this public chapter also exempted court reporting services paid for by a federal government agency and court reporting services provided pursuant to Title 40 of the Tennessee Code Annotated from the licensure requirement. In other words, a court reporter license is not required to perform court reporting services if:
1. the court reporter is paid to perform court reporting services exclusively by the federal government, OR
2. the court reporter is an official or per diem court reporter exclusively paid by the Administrative Office of the Courts for the State of Tennessee, AND
3. the services provided fall under the court reporter's duties required by the federal or state government to receive compensation.
If a court reporter performs services outside the specific job duties established by the federal or state government, then that reporter must be licensed to provide court reporting services. For example, a court reporter that provides court reporting services in the state criminal courts, as an official or per diem court reporter compensated by the Administrative Office of the Courts, is not required to be licensed to perform this service. However, if the official or per diem court reporter wishes to engage in court reporting at a deposition, hearing or trial in a civil matter, or any other matter than occurs outside of the state criminal court, a license would be required. Should you have questions concerning license requirements, please contact Debbie Hayes at (615) 741-2687 or debra.hayes@tncourts.gov.
For the initial licensing process, there are two paths to obtaining a license. The first is the grandfathering path. Grandfathering licenses are issues in one of several ways. The requirements for each method of obtaining a license by grandfathering are listed below:
The deadline for submitting an application for a license through the grandfathering process is July 1, 2011. However, it is emphasized that court reporters must have a license to engage in court reporting after July 1, 2010, with the exceptions set out above.
The second path to obtaining a license is through the traditional method that will be applicable to those not eligible for grandfathering. The requirements for licensure through this process are as follows:
Should a court reporter not be eligible to be licensed through the grandfathering process and not yet have passed (or received results of) one of the licensing examinations, then the court reporter may be eligible for a temporary license. A temporary license may be obtained as follows:
The Board continues to accept applications for licensure. Applications can be downloaded from this page (see below). Should you have questions about obtaining a license or completing the application process, please contact Debbie Hayes at the Administrative Office of the Courts (615-741-2687 or 1-800-448-7970).
Emergency Rules: Effective throught July 31, 2010. (PDF)
Proposed Rules on the Secretary of State's website. (link will open a new browser window)
A petition for Rulemaking Hearing was filed on March 1, 2010. See Rulemaking Hearing Notice below.
Rulemaking Hearing Notice (link will open a new browser window)
Pending Rules Effective October 24, 2010 (PDF)
Application for Temporary Tennessee Court Reporter License
Application for Tennessee Court Reporter License
Application for Tennessee Court Reporter License by Grandfathering Method
Official Meeting Minutes - November 21, 2009 (PDF)
Official Meeting Minutes - December 17, 2009 (PDF)
Official Meeting Minutes - January 22, 2010 (PDF)
Official Meeting Minutes - April 30, 2010 (PDF)
Official Meeting Minutes - June 25, 2010 (PDF)
Official Meeting Minutes - June 30, 2010 (PDF)
Click here to view a Court Reporter FAQ list (Frequently Asked Questions)
Click here to view a Roster of Licensed Court Reporters