(a) An audit committee created pursuant to this chapter shall establish a process by which employees, taxpayers, or other citizens may confidentially report suspected illegal, improper, wasteful, or fraudulent activity. If the information provided causes the chair of the audit committee to believe that illegal, improper, wasteful, or fraudulent activity may have occurred, then the chair of the audit committee shall report the information to the office of the comptroller of the treasury. The comptroller of the treasury shall have the power to prescribe the method of making the report by the chair of the audit committee. The detailed information received and generated pursuant to a report of suspected illegal, improper, wasteful, or fraudulent activity shall be considered audit working papers and is therefore not an open record pursuant to title 10, chapter 7.(b) Section state agency, employee, or contractor” class=”unlinked-ref” datatype=”S” sessionyear=”2021″ statecd=”TN” title=”8″>8-50-116 shall apply to all state governing board, council, commission or equivalent body employees. In addition, no state governing board, council, commission or equivalent body’s employees shall suffer any of the prohibited retaliatory actions specified in § 8-50-116 for reporting or cooperating with the audit committee, internal auditors, or auditors from, or approved by, the comptroller of the treasury, or for reporting any facts to the state governmental body to which the audit committee is attached. Any person who knowingly and willingly retaliates or takes adverse action of any kind against any person for reporting alleged wrongdoing pursuant to this chapter commits a Class A misdemeanor.
