TCA § 6-56-403 — Development of curriculum for certified municipal finance officer — Candidates for course — Demonstrated proficiencies — Training and testing administration

The municipal technical advisory service (MTAS) of the University of Tennessee's institute for public service, with the approval of the state comptroller's office, shall develop a curriculum, including testing, leading to the designation certified municipal finance officer (CMFO). The program shall include at least eighty (80) combined hours of course and lab work, including the following topics: Governmental environment; Auditing and internal controls; Governmental accounting; Financial reporting; Budgeting; Debt administration; Cash and investment management; Strategic planning and capital improvement plans; Pensions and benefits administration and risk management; and Procurement and enterprise resource planning systems. A candidate for the CMFO designation shall: Be at least eighteen (18) years of age; Be a high school graduate or the equivalent; Not have been convicted of any felony or any lesser crime involving theft, fraud, or other crimes of dishonesty under the laws of this state, the United States, or any other state or country if the acts involved would have constituted such a crime under the laws of this state; and Not engage in any conduct reflecting adversely upon the candidate's fitness to perform services while certified as a CMFO. To achieve the CMFO designation, a candidate shall demonstrate proficiency in the subject matter by passing a series of examinations on the course materials. A CMFO candidate, however, may choose to take an examination on the subject matter before taking a course, except for the course covering governmental environment, which is mandatory for all candidates. If the candidate makes a passing grade on the examination, the candidate shall receive credit toward the CMFO designation without attending the training class in which the particular subject matter is covered. A candidate who passes all the examinations covering the ten (10) topics listed in subsection (a) shall be eligible to receive the CMFO designation, and shall receive that designation upon application to and certification by the comptroller of the treasury's office. Training will be provided and examinations administered by the staff of MTAS.