There are 264 article(s) tagged Bill Lee:

• December 2018

  • Ballot Basics: The Elections of 2018

    The last vote count of a busy election year is certified and in the books.

    By Bill Dries December 12, 2018

  • Akbari to push automatic restoration of voting rights for low-level felons

    Senate Minority Chairman Raumesh Akbari, with an eye toward passage of a Florida referendum on felon voting rights, is planning to sponsor legislation automatically restoring the right to vote for people with low-level felony convictions.

    By Sam Stockard December 11, 2018

  • Gov.-elect makes another round of cabinet appointments

    Gov.-elect Bill Lee made another round of cabinet appointments Monday, announcing Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Long, a former police officer at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Memphis, will serve as Safety and Homeland Security Department commissioner.

    By Sam Stockard December 10, 2018

  • Lawmakers demand governor-elect avoid conflicts with Lee Company

    As Gov.-elect Bill Lee works at disentangling himself from the family-founded Lee Company, state lawmakers say he must take steps to avoid even the appearance of conflict with government contracts the company holds.

    By Sam Stockard December 10, 2018

  • Black Caucus work on criminal justice reform could mesh with Lee’s efforts

    The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators is putting together a legislative agenda that could fit with one of Gov.-elect Bill Lee’s priorities — keeping felons from going back to prison.

    By Sam Stockard December 09, 2018

  • The Daily Memphian Conversation: Tennessee Gov.-Elect Bill Lee

    Tennessee Gov.-elect Bill Lee talked with The Daily Memphian at Muddy’s Bake Shop + Coffee in Cooper-Young before he spoke at the Greater Memphis Chamber’s annual luncheon Thursday, Dec. 6. Here is a transcript of the conversation, edited for clarity.

    By Bill Dries December 07, 2018

  • Lee points to criminal justice reform, shift of public education as budget priorities

    Tennessee Gov.-elect Bill Lee says his first budget proposal will focus on capping growth in state government and shifting funds toward criminal justice reform and to more vocational, technical and agricultural education in public schools.

    By Bill Dries December 07, 2018

  • Lamar brings 20-something perspective to Legislature

    A president of the Tennessee Young Democrats and still not 30 years old, freshman Rep.-elect London Lamar is determined to make young people part of the political equation across the state.

    By Sam Stockard December 04, 2018

  • Kelsey says closed GOP primaries could ensure election integrity

    State Sen. Brian Kelsey says closing Republican primaries could bolster the “integrity” of GOP elections and keep other groups from affecting them. But Tennessee’s governor-elect and sitting governor disagree with such a move.

    By Sam Stockard December 04, 2018

  • Republican House speaker-nominee commits to Shelby/Memphis economy

    Calling Memphis a key part of Tennessee’s economy, Republican House Speaker-nominee Glen Casada says he will ensure the city receives its “fair share” of economic development projects through the state.

    By Sam Stockard December 02, 2018

• November 2018

  • Memphis attorney Wiseman to serve on Lee’s staff

    Memphis attorney Lang Wiseman will serve as deputy to the governor and chief counsel for Gov.-elect Bill Lee. He is among the next governor’s staff appointments announced Tuesday and the only one from Shelby County so far.

    By Sam Stockard November 28, 2018

  • Shelby legislators want state recruiting incentives spread to Memphis

    With Amazon set to net nearly $77 million in state funds for a Nashville logistics headquarters, Shelby County state legislators say they’d like to see Tennessee spread the love to Memphis.

    By Sam Stockard November 18, 2018

  • State Building Commission approves Megasite contract

    With an eye toward prepping the Memphis Regional Megasite for its next potential suitor, the State Building Commission has approved a $500,000 site consulting contract to ensure it doesn’t miss out on another jobs deal.

    By Sam Stockard November 13, 2018

  • Legislators try to get handle on Lee’s potential policies

    Shelby County lawmakers are trying to figure out what direction Gov.-elect Bill Lee will take on everything from criminal justice reform to health care and school vouchers. But at least one legislator says the next governor could face tough sledding with the General Assembly even from those in his own party.

    By Sam Stockard November 12, 2018

  • Gov.-elect Lee recognizes veterans’ service at York VA parade

    Gov.-elect Bill Lee, in one of his first public appearances since winning the gubernatorial race, honored the sacrifice of veterans during a Veterans Day parade at the York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro.

    By Sam Stockard November 11, 2018

  • Dems see gains, but Haslam calls election ‘mixed’ night

    Democrats took a thrashing statewide in the midterm elections as a potential “blue wave” hit a “red wall” in Tennessee. But nationally, the tone was more middle of the road, and Memphis Democrats take solace in making some senatorial history.

    By Sam Stockard November 10, 2018

  • Nelson: Election night overload? Here are some things you may have missed

    So much to talk about after the Mid-South midterm elections. Let me focus on some non-obvious things that happened in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Memphis last night – in that order.

    By Michael Nelson November 09, 2018

  • Haslam prepares to hand governor’s office keys to Lee

    The day after Republican Bill Lee’s landslide win over Democrat Karl Dean, Gov. Bill Haslam said he is committed to making the switch to the governor-elect “the best transition in the history of Tennessee.”

    By Sam Stockard November 07, 2018

  • Majority of Shelby County voters turn out for the vote

    For the first time in 24 years a majority of Shelby County voters showed up for an election other than the presidential general election.

    By Bill Dries November 07, 2018

  • Election Day Notebook: Blackburn wins ugly, urban-rural divide deepens, Gibson’s gets flack, and more

    Two quotes in the closing days of this year’s midterm election, both on the subject of the “migrant caravan” as a political motivator:

    By Chris Herrington November 07, 2018

  • Lee, Dean approach final day at the polls

    At nearly every stop, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee recalls a moment in his campaign when he introduced himself to a Cumberland County man and got an unexpected response.

    By Sam Stockard November 06, 2018

  • Both sides of partisan divide push Memphis voter turnout

    At his next-to-last campaign stop in his bid for the U.S. Senate Monday evening, former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen had trouble getting in the door of Jim Neely’s Interstate Barbecue in South Memphis.

    By Bill Dries November 06, 2018

  • Top statewide contenders expected in Shelby on election eve

    With no partisan primaries on the Nov. 6 ballot, it’s not clear whether voters will shift to blue or further solidify the state’s status since 2000 as a red or Republican state.

    By Bill Dries November 04, 2018

  • Early voting ends with ‘robust’ turnout, Medicaid stand by Dean

    Early voting in advance of the Nov. 6 Election Day ended Thursday evening with Shelby County turnout expected to remain below 200,000 and below the early voter turnout for the November 2016 presidential general election.

    By Bill Dries November 02, 2018

  • Blackburn leading Bredesen in three new polls for U.S. Senate seat

    With less than a week left until the Nov. 6 election, Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn is leading former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen in three new polls released this week.

    By Sam Stockard November 01, 2018