Help participants change their identities or relocate.
Remove or delete existing public records.
Offer legal advice.
Relieve participants of their legal or financial responsibilities.
Why is the Safe at Home program necessary?
Under the Tennessee Public Records Act, T.C.A. § 10-7-501 et. seq., all state or local government records are considered public and are available for public inspection and copying, unless specifically protected by other law. This means that any member of the public can request that a state or local government official allow them to inspect and/or take a copy of certain records, which may contain an another individual’s name, address, or phone number. This means that an abuser may be able to track or discover the residential address of a victim through public records. The primary goal of the Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program is to prevent this from happening and provide victims of domestic violence and other crimes with a sense of security in their own homes and freedom from intimidation or further abuse.
What is the Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program?
The Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program is a statewide address confidentiality program administered by the Office of the Tennessee Secretary of State. It is open to all victims of domestic abuse, stalking, human trafficking, rape, sexual battery, or any other sexual offense who satisfy eligibility and application requirements at no cost. Once a participant has been approved, they are provided with a ‘substitute’ address that can be used by them and their children as their official mailing address for all state and local government purposes, including public school or public benefits enrollment, subject only to a few limited exceptions.
How can I apply for certification or continuing education credit?
You may obtain Form #SS-4507, Application for Certification of Municipal Clerks & Recorders and Continuing Education Credit, from our website or upon request from our office.
For certification, the application must be accompanied by a copy of the certificate(s) from the institution(s) at which the qualifications were completed. The certificate(s) (other than a degree) should indicate the number of hours completed. If credit is claimed for job-related seminars, then documents must also be submitted outlining seminar content.
For continuing education credit, the application must be accompanied by a copy of the certificate(s) of attendance and a statement as to the number of credit hours completed. If credit is claimed for job-related seminars, then documents must also be submitted outlining seminar content. Please note that the Division of Business Services does not pre-certify seminars for content applicability or for applicable credit hours. Applications are accepted by mail, fax or in person. Upon receipt and approval of an application, the Division of Business Services will issue to the applicant a certificate confirming the certification or continuing education credit.
The General Assembly recently passed a bill I am interested in, where can I find this?
After bills are passed by the General Assembly, they are signed by both Speakers and the Governor. Our office is tasked with chaptering and posting these online.
Once a bill is received by our office, it may take a day or so to get it posted online. Acts and resolutions from the most recent General Assembly, as well as previous sessions, can be found here.
You can view the status of a bill by visiting the General Assembly’s website here.