Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says religious congregations that continue having large gatherings for services during the coronavirus pandemic are "risking people's lives."
Tennessee's GOP-led General Assembly Thursday night approved Gov. Bill Lee's retooled version of the state's estimated $39.8 billion fiscal year 2021 budget Thursday night.
As Tennessee's number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose Thursday, Gov. Bill Lee signed his second executive order that further deregulates the numbers of allowed hospital beds to free up more capacity while deregulating scope-of-practice laws to allow more health care professionals to treat patients.
NASHVILLE - Tennessee lawmakers began a rush Thursday to wrap up their work before an eight-week recess, focusing largely on must-do bills before taking up Republican Gov. Bill Lee's $40.9 billion budget now re-shaped to address coronavirus-related efforts and brace for an expected economic recession.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Wednesday he has not been tested for the coronavirus, telling reporters that's because he hasn't displayed any symptoms associated with the potentially deadly infection.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Wednesday unveiled a major rewrite of his proposed budget in response to the coronavirus crisis, slashing previously proposed spending to the tune of $891.4 million in one-time and recurring areas to fund emergency measures.
With all Tennessee schools now closed because of the coronavirus, state lawmakers on Wednesday were racing to drop state testing requirements while also waiving a law requiring 180 days of annual classroom instruction.
As the number of Tennessee's reported coronavirus cases jumped from 52 to 73 on Tuesday, with economic activity expected to fall, Gov. Bill Lee announced he will use some of the $732 million from the state's welfare program to help families, while the state's unemployment fund is well prepared to help those who lose their jobs.
Gov. Bill Lee, who on Monday called on schools across Tennessee to close, also announced that 15 drive-through COVID-19 testing sites should soon be up and running in six metropolitan areas, including Hamilton County, for the elderly and other vulnerable populations with symptoms.
Amid increasing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, Tennessee Republican lawmakers on Monday began discussing taking swift action on "mission-critical" elements of the state budget and various bills, then recessing for as long as eight weeks.
