Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said he is not worried about any ballot-box revolt or business blackmail from the state's law banning nearly all abortions, which went into effect Thursday.
"Protecting lives of children is paramount," he said in a wide-ranging interview with this page late last week. "My considerations," compared to "what might be happening, is that unborn children's lives will be protected. Beyond that, [the other things] are less important to me."
The Supreme Court ruling in June eliminating a federal right to an abortion, and leaving the decision to states on what to allow, was a "hopeful day for the country," he said.
"I certainly hoped that day would come," he said.
But the Life Protection Act -- passed by the state legislature in 2019 -- going into effect means more than eliminating abortions, he noted.
"Being pro-family not only means protecting the lives of the unborn, but also investing in foster care and an adoption system" to find newborn children "safe, loving, forever homes."
It also means expanding services for mothers, Lee said. His administration has put money toward such care as well as to postpartum care and to women's clinics, he said.
The governor, who is running for his second term and will face Democrat Dr. Jason Martin in November, said his most satisfying accomplishment has been working toward what he promised voters in 2018 -- good jobs, good schools and safe neighborhoods.
"We've really worked hard on those things," Lee said. "That's what they elected me to do."
He said the state has "the strongest economy in the country," among the lowest taxes and a strong business environment. That environment, he said, creates jobs, and some 70,000 by both major corporations and small businesses have been created in the state -- despite the COVID-19 pandemic -- during his tenure.
"If you create jobs, you change lives," Lee said. "Part of my responsibility was to create the environment that allows businesses to thrive, and that's what we've done."
On education, he said, Tennessee has made "the most significant and historic funding decisions in state history." Not only did Tennessee make the largest investment in public education, but "we also revamped the [K-12] funding formula, and that will change the trajectory in the state."
The new funding formula, which takes effect with the 2023-2024 school year, is designed to be student-based rather than district-based and provides "individual funding for individual children with individual needs."
"It will immediately help ... school districts," he said.
Lee said in addition to more education funding, families in Tennessee now have more choice in education. Part of the reason is the Education Savings Account program, passed in 2019 but being implemented for the first time this year, which allows low-income students in Memphis and Nashville who enroll in private schools to use state vouchers for tuition or other expenses.
He said a letter from a student seeking an application "reminded me of why we do this." He said the student talked of losing his father to cancer and watching his mom struggle to make ends meet and of her desire for him to attend a good school.
"That child deserves that shot," Lee said. "If they believe [the private school] is the best school, we want to give him an opportunity to attend that school."
About safe neighborhoods, he said the legislature has passed "meaningful criminal justice reform," put more money in the violent crime grant fund and increased the number of state troopers, among other improvements.
Earlier this week, former Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada and the speaker's former chief of staff were arrested on charges of bribery, kickbacks and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Lee said "the legal process will play out," but it's tragic when the "trust of the people is breached or challenged." He said both his administration and the legislature are "doing everything we can to improve, increase and strengthen transparency around elected officials."
The governor said if he is re-elected -- and the Cook Political Report puts the race in the "Solid Republican" category -- he wants to help the state prepare for the next 25 years.
"Tennessee is in a very enviable position relative to a lot of states," he said. "It is one of the fastest growing states, and people are moving here in record numbers. I want us to be prepared for that."
That preparation, he said, will involve -- among other things -- infrastructure, a skilled workforce, recruitment, nuclear energy and changes in high schools that put additional emphases on career and technical education centers (CTEs), STEM classes, teacher apprenticeship programs and workforce development.
"The big things that we have addressed," he said, "have been what people said were important in the state."