NASHVILLE – It’s fast approaching decision time for Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee as a raft of bills passed by his fellow Republicans in the legislature last week begin arriving on his desk, measures intended to rein in COVID-19 precautions from businesses as well as federal and local governments.
The main bill, an omnibus measure which seeks to weaken or even eliminate vaccine requirements by businesses and government, makes it tougher for schools and local governments to impose mask requirements and much more. It was sent to Lee’s office on Tuesday, legislative records show.
“Our teams are evaluating that, every piece of that bill, and they’re briefing me on it on a daily basis,” Lee told reporters Tuesday. “There’s a lot to it, and we’re looking at multiple aspects of that to make sure everything is as it should be.”
Once a bill arrives, Lee has 10 days – excluding Sundays – to sign or veto each bill or allow it to become law without his signature.
“I think that what we’re seeing is a response by the legislature, specifically to the mandates and particularly mandates from the federal government,” Lee said. “When you have government overreach from the federal government, then you have response to that, and that’s what’s happened here.”