Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee defended his government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic—as well as conservative principles more generally—in his third State of the State address Monday evening.

Lee defends his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Democrats including Raumesh Akbari of Memphis say the state has not invested in what is important to Tennessee families. 

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Full text of Gov. Bill Lee’s State of the State address

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Gov. Bill Lee touted progress on the economy, COVID-19, the Medicare block grant and other goals of his administration.

What do the changes to the state’s TennCare program mean? Here’s a breakdown of the changes. 
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Lee to deliver State of the State, with focus on economic recovery

Gov. Bill Lee’s third State of the State address Monday evening, Feb. 8, is already getting reaction from Democrats in the Legislature who say his response to the pandemic has been “too late, ended too early and did too little.”

Tennesseans will be vaccinated against COVID-19 faster beginning early next week after President Joe Biden announced a massive purchase of doses, an increased weekly allocation to states and other moves to manage the pandemic.

Appointments at big-box stores will be made through the Health Department.

Dr. Jon McCullers, a Memphis infectious disease expert, says greater ‘central control’ was needed at both the federal and state levels for a more effective response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The move wrapped up the legislature’s four-day special session on education, called by Gov. Bill Lee to address learning disruptions for students during the coronavirus pandemic, plus perennial challenges with teacher pay and literacy.

Intent on returning kids to classrooms, reversing months of “learning loss” and improving literacy, the Tennessee General Assembly approved a handful of bills Thursday and Friday, Jan. 21-22, and $110 million in spending.

A bill by Rep. Steve Cohen would remove the name of the late segregationist congressman Clifford Davis from Memphis’ Downtown federal building and courthouse.

Legislators passed four bills Thursday, Jan. 21, during the third day of a special education session amid protests from Democrats, education advocates and at least one Republican.

Tennessee legislators began a special session on education Wednesday, Jan. 20, by advancing three bills to Senate committee and five others to subcommittees, including two bills that would raise teacher pay.

Kicking off a special legislative session focused on education, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee Tuesday, Jan. 19, outlined his plans to address the learning loss many students have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Germantown Municipal School District laid out a wish list as part of its efforts advocate for state laws that best serve students.

Kelsey, who represents Germantown, Cordova and East Memphis. will serve as chairman of the senate education committee.

Eric Munchel, 30, was taken into custody Sunday after being charged with one felony count of the federal version of trespassing and one felony count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Tennessee’s legislative session is likely to stretch for several months, with a special session called by Republican Gov. Bill Lee on tap starting Jan. 19 to address education challenges that have popped up amid the virus outbreak.

State representatives from Shelby County want to clarify that authority for school operations lies with local district’s elected leaders. 

The $8.6 billion waiver must be approved by the Tennessee General Assembly and sets a cap on TennCare funding with the state keeping a share of any savings if its spending comes in below the cap. 

The searches included the homes of former Republican House Speaker Glen Casada and state Rep. Robin Smith.

Portal will not reduce demand for the shot or scarcity of supply, but is expected to eliminate long lines, disappointment.

The coronavirus is spreading faster in Tennessee than just about anywhere, but the state is also vaccinating residents faster than the national average. Locally, however, officials are awaiting smoother and more consistent distribution from the state to improve the situation. 

The two Republicans are part of a group of 11 Republican Senators and Senators-elect who are calling for a Congressional investigation and audit of presidential election results in battleground states won by President-elect Joe Biden.