Terms Used In Tennessee Code > Title 38 > Chapter 5 - Inquests

• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Board: means the board of certification created in §. See Tennessee Code 68-221-903
• Certificate: means a certificate of competency issued by the commissioner stating that the operator has met the requirements for the specified operator classification of the certification program. See Tennessee Code 68-221-903
• Commissioner: means the commissioner of environment and conservation or the commissioner's duly authorized representative. See Tennessee Code 68-221-903
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Construction: means the erection, acquisition, alteration, reconstruction, improvement or extension of wastewater treatment works, including preliminary planning to determine the economic and engineering feasibility of wastewater treatment works, the engineering, architectural, legal, fiscal and economic investigations and studies, surveys, designs, plans, procedures and other similar action necessary in the building of wastewater treatment works, and the inspection and supervision of the construction of wastewater treatment works. See Tennessee Code 68-221-803
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• County mayor: means and includes "county executive" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Department: means the department of environment and conservation. See Tennessee Code 68-221-803
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Joint resolution: A legislative measure which requires the approval of both chambers.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
• Municipality: means any utility district existing on July 1, 1984, county, incorporated town or city, or metropolitan government which has authority to administer a wastewater treatment works, or any combination of two (2) or more of the foregoing acting jointly to construct a wastewater treatment works. See Tennessee Code 68-221-803
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Operator: means a person who is in direct charge, or that by education, training and experience is qualified to be in direct charge, of a water treatment plant, wastewater treatment plant, water distribution system or wastewater collection system. See Tennessee Code 68-221-903
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Preliminary engineering: means preparation of the Section 201 Facilities Plan, preparation of engineering plans, writing specifications, value engineering, and related, similar activities. See Tennessee Code 68-221-803
• Program: means any of the following which are established by law and for which the state treasurer has, or has been delegated, investment authority, oversight, and responsibility:
  (A) A trust fund. See Tennessee Code 9-4-1401
• Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Proxy voting: The practice of allowing a legislator to cast a vote in committee for an absent legislator.
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Value engineering: is a specialized cost control technique which uses a systematic and creative approach to identify and focus on unnecessarily high cost in a project in order to arrive at a cost saving without sacrificing the reliability or efficiency of the project. See Tennessee Code 68-221-803
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Wastewater collection system: means the entire system of pipes, valves, pumping stations and appurtenances through which wastewater is collected and conveyed to the wastewater treatment plant. See Tennessee Code 68-221-903
• Wastewater treatment plant: means the facility or group of units provided for the treatment of wastewater, either or both domestic and industrial wastes. See Tennessee Code 68-221-903
• Wastewater treatment works: means any facility whose purpose is to store, treat, neutralize, stabilize, recycle, reclaim or dispose of municipal wastewater, including treatment or disposal plants, interceptors, outfall, and outlet sewers, pumping stations, equipment and furnishings thereof and their appurtenances which are necessary to accomplish the foregoing purposes. See Tennessee Code 68-221-803
• Water distribution system: means that portion of the water supply system in which water is conveyed from the water treatment plant or other supply point to the premises of the consumer. See Tennessee Code 68-221-903
• Water supply system: means the system of pipes, structures and facilities through which water is obtained, treated, and sold, distributed or otherwise offered to the public for household use or any use by humans, if such system has at least fifteen (15) service connections or regularly serves an average of at least twenty-five (25) individuals at least one hundred twenty (120) days or at least sixty (60) consecutive days out of the year. See Tennessee Code 68-221-903
• Water treatment plant: means the portion of the water supply system which in some way alters the physical, chemical or bacteriological quality of the water. See Tennessee Code 68-221-903
• written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105