Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds has repaid travel and event expenses paid for her last year by pro-voucher advocacy group ExcelinEd following an ethics complaint filed against her alleging that the reimbursements constitute an illegal gift from an employer of a lobbyist.
Reynolds attended two out-of-state conferences last year hosted by her former employer, ExcelinEd , after she came on board as the state’s education chief. ExcelinEd ― a national group working to expand school choice policies that Reynolds worked for immediately prior to joining state government ― paid her expenses, totaling $1,988.77 for both conferences.
State ethics law prohibits public officials from accepting gifts from lobbyists or employers of lobbyists.
ExcelinEd employs a lobbyist registered in Tennessee, who advocated for Gov. Bill Lee’s statewide universal school voucher proposal this spring in parallel to Reynolds’ advocacy for the program before state lawmakers. The legislation did not pass, but Lee has said he plans to bring back the proposal next year .