(a) If the obligor attempts to enter into a satisfactory arrangement with the department for the payment of arrears, the department may permit the obligor to be eligible for a restricted license for the purpose of driving to and from and working at the obligor’s regular place of employment and going to and from the obligor’s school.
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 36-5-714
Arrears: means any child support or spousal support associated with a child support order owed under a court or administrative order that is delinquent pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 36-5-701
License: means a license, certification, registration, permit, approval or other similar document issued to an individual evidencing admission to or granting authority to engage in a profession, trade, occupation, business, or industry, to hunt or fish, or to operate any motor vehicle or other conveyance, but does not include a license to practice law unless the supreme court establishes guidelines pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 36-5-701
Licensing authority: means the board, commission, or agency, including the department of safety, that has been established by statute or state regulation to oversee the issuance and regulation of any license. See Tennessee Code 36-5-701
Restricted license: means a license that allows a person to operate a motor vehicle for the limited purposes of going to and from and working at the person's regular place of employment and going to and from the person's school and does not include a commercial driver license of any kind. See Tennessee Code 36-5-701
Support order: means a judgment, decree, order, decision, or directive, whether temporary, final, or subject to modification, issued in a state or foreign country for the benefit of a child, a spouse, or a former spouse, which provides for monetary support, health care, arrearages, retroactive support, or reimbursement for financial assistance provided to an individual obligee in place of child support. See Tennessee Code 36-5-2101
(b) In order to be eligible for a restricted license pursuant to subsection (a), the obligor shall:
(1) Be employed for at least thirty (30) hours per week;(2) Have a place of employment or school that is located more than one (1) mile from the obligor’s place of residence;(3) Show that the employment or educational endeavor can reasonably be expected to contribute to bringing the obligor into compliance with the support order in a timely manner;(4) Enter into a payment plan that is satisfactory to the department; and(5) Pay the restricted license fee required by subsection (f).(c) If at any time the department finds the obligor is no longer in compliance with the requirements of the agreement, the obligor shall be subject to license revocation pursuant to this part.(d) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a licensing authority from denying, suspending or revoking any license other than a license to operate a motor vehicle when an obligor is found eligible to receive a restricted license.(e) Any time an obligor, who is eligible for a restricted license due to an agreement with the department, operates a motor vehicle, the obligor shall maintain in the obligor’s possession the agreement stating the restrictions to be placed on the license. An obligor who operates a motor vehicle without the agreement in the obligor’s possession or outside the restrictions imposed by the agreement shall be considered to be driving while the obligor’s driver license is revoked pursuant to § 55-50-504.(f) The department shall charge a restricted license fee, not to exceed thirty dollars ($30.00), the proceeds of which shall be used to implement this section. The department shall annually review the fees collected pursuant to this subsection (f) and the costs of implementation to determine the need for a reduction or increase in the fee. The commissioner is authorized to promulgate rules to effectuate the purposes of this subsection (f). All such rules shall be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.
