Tennessee Code Title 9. Public Finances § 9-4-1403

(a) Notwithstanding another law or policy to the contrary, the state treasurer has the sole authority to exercise, in person or by proxy, all voting rights with respect to securities held by a program and to give general or special proxies or powers of attorney with or without power of substitution.

(b) The authority conferred by subsection (a) must be exercised for financial reasons, impartially and solely in the interests of the beneficiaries of the program as determined from the purposes, terms, distribution requirements, and other circumstances of the program, and the terms of the respective program's investment and proxy voting policies or guidelines.

(c) The state treasurer may delegate the authority conferred by subsection (a), in whole or in part, to the department of treasury staff, which authority includes, but is not limited to, conducting research, providing due diligence, and casting votes.