(a) The Tennessee ethics commission shall provide an annual ethics course on multiple dates, both when the general assembly is in session and when the general assembly is not in session for both lobbyists and employers of lobbyists. The training may be offered electronically. Training shall include, but not be limited to, laws administered and enforced by the commission, administrative regulations, relevant internal policies, specific technical and legal requirements, and summaries of advisory opinions. The commission shall impose a fee for attending the ethics course that will enable participation in the course to be funded from the fee.

(b) Each lobbyist shall attend one (1) ethics course annually. A lobbyist may petition the commission to approve an ethics course other than a course offered by the commission to fulfill the ethics course requirement. A lobbyist may also attend one (1) of the annual ethics courses provided for members of the general assembly pursuant to § 3-6-113 in lieu of the course described in this section.

(c) In addition to any other manuals or guides prepared and published by the commission, the commission shall provide a manual for lobbyists and employers of lobbyists that includes ethics statutes and administrative regulations relevant to lobbyists and employers of lobbyists, explanations of purposes and principles underlying the laws, explanations of technical and specific legal requirements, examples of practical applications of the laws and principles, a question-and-answer section regarding common problems and situations, summaries of advisory opinions, and any other information that would inform lobbyists and employers of lobbyists about ethics laws and regulations and assist them in applying those laws and regulations to specific situations. The manual may be distributed to lobbyists and employers of lobbyists, and shall be made available to the public, by posting the manual in pdf format on the commission's web site.