Environment and Conservation, Department of - As introduced, prohibits the board of water and wastewater operator certification from delegating, by contract or other agreement, to a third-party its authority to determine minimum operator competency or to prepare examinations administered to applicants seeking operator certification; establishes requirements for such examinations and minimum scores required for issuance of a certificate. - Amends TCA Title 68, Chapter 221, Part 9.

HB 834 prevents Tennessee's Water and Wastewater Operator Certification Board from outsourcing exam creation, administration, or competency decisions to third parties through contracts or agreements. The bill requires the board to create standardized exams that measure required skills (including at least 10% state regulatory questions per classification), sets a 70% passing score for both total exam and regulatory questions, and bans collecting applicant demographic data (age, race, sex, or cultural background). It directly affects water and wastewater operators seeking certification in Tennessee by ensuring exams are developed and administered internally by the board. The law applies to all certification processes under Tennessee Code Annotated Title 68, Chapter 221, Part 9.