Tag Archives: Bill Lee

ABC News reports: A teachers association in Tennessee has filed a federal lawsuit against the state education department’s restrictions on curriculum regarding race and gender in public schools. The Tennessee Education Association and five Tennessee public school educators behind the lawsuit believe the Tennessee policy that bans certain concepts from being included in curriculum, programs or supplemental materials complicates how …

The Tennessean reports: The Department of Justice on Wednesday intervened in a federal lawsuit against Tennessee over the state’s controversial ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, asking the court to halt the law’s implementation before it takes effect on July 1. In March, Gov. Bill Lee [photo] signed into law SB 1/HB 1, which bans gender-affirming care for minors. …

The Tennessean reports: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at strengthening background checks for firearm purchases, in addition to calling for lawmakers to pass an order of protection law to keep guns away from people who present a danger to themselves or others. “I’m asking the General Assembly to bring forward an order of protection …

Reuters reports: A federal judge in Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday temporarily blocked a law restricting drag performances in public from going into effect, saying it was likely “vague and overly-broad” in its restriction of speech. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee [photo], a Republican, in February, had signed the bill passed by the state’s legislature that was meant to go into effect …

CNN reports: Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill into law that will restrict public drag show performances in Tennessee, making his state the first to do so this year. The state Senate passed the bill Thursday along party lines to limit “adult cabaret performances” on public property so as to shield them from the view of children. The bill, …

The Associated Press reports: Tennessee lawmakers advanced legislation Thursday that would severely limit where certain drag shows can take place, a proposal Republican Gov. Bill Lee has vowed to sign into law. No other state has acted as fast as Tennessee to ensure that drag shows cannot take place in public or in front of children. And the move lines …

Nashville’s Fox affiliate reports: A 1977 photo circulating online appearing to show Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in drag was addressed during Monday’s media availability. The image surfaced days after a bill that would ban drag show performances on public property or in a place where the performance could be seen by a minor was passed by the Tennessee House. Gov. …

The Daily Beast reports: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is set to sign a bill that will make drag performances illegal in the state—a crime he may have committed in high school. A photo emerged on Reddit from the Franklin High Yearbook in 1977, where Lee attended, purportedly showing Lee in drag along the caption “Hard Luck Woman.” Lee’s office has …

Via press release from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee: WHEREAS, we acknowledge God’s sovereignty and the need for God’s grace over our state and our nation; and WHEREAS, we walk humbly together with God in hope so that we may act with justice, kindness and love, no matter the circumstance; and WHEREAS, we seek forgiveness for our many transgressions so that …

Changing America reports: The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ rights groups, is suing the Tennessee Department of Education and its commissioner over the enforcement of a state law barring transgender students from using school facilities like restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity. The lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court alleges that the …

The Associated Press reports: Nearly four years ago, Bill Lee startled political insiders when the first-time political candidate survived a bruising and crowded $45 million GOP primary for Tennessee governor. He cruised to win the top elected state seat a few months later. Now, the Republican businessman is enjoying a drastically different race for reelection, with much more breathing room. …

The Hill reports: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) is pressing the Department of Defense to approve requests for exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate made by his state’s National Guard. In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin obtained by The Hill, Lee says his state’s Guard has recommended approval for Guard members and are awaiting final decisions from Army …

The Associated Press reports: Tennessee will soon strictly regulate the dispensing of abortion pills, including imposing harsh penalties on doctors who violate them, under legislation recently signed into law by Republican Gov. Bill Lee. The measure, which Lee signed on Thursday, will go into effect Jan. 1, 2023. Once enacted, a medical clinician will be required to be physically present …

Via press release from hate group leader Mat Staver: Governor Bill Lee has signed SB 2188 that allows Ivermectin, an award-winning antiviral drug, to be available for the treatment of COVID-19 without a prescription in Tennessee. The state’s Senate overwhelmingly voted 66-20, and the House voted 22-6 in favor of the bill. The bill states that a pharmacist can provide …

The Tennessee Lookout reports: Tennessee Republican Rep. John Ragan has demanded that a state medical board remove a policy statement from its website that warns physicians who spread misinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccines risk disciplinary action. In a letter sent Monday to Dr. Melanie Blake, president of the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners, Ragan instructed the statement be deleted “without delay.” …

The Tennessean reports: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order allowing parents to opt their children out of school mask mandates violates federal law and will remain blocked in Williamson County, a judge decided Friday. U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw’s ruling continues to prevent Lee’s order, which the governor extended through Nov. 5, from taking effect in Williamson County’s two …

The Tennessean reports: Gov. Bill Lee on Monday announced he is issuing an executive order requiring schools to allow parents to exempt their children from mask mandates, a decision that follows an outcry from some conservative legislators over districts’ masking policies for students. While the governor’s new Executive Order 84 addresses a key concern raised by many House and some …

The Associated Press reports: Tennessee has sent nearly half a million dollars to farmers who have vaccinated their cattle against respiratory diseases and other maladies over the past two years. But Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who grew up on his family’s ranch and refers to himself as a cattle farmer in his Twitter profile, has been far less enthusiastic about …

Knoxville’s NBC News affiliate reports: Governor Bill Lee spoke to the press for the first time since the controversy surrounding the termination of the state’s top vaccine expert, Dr. Michelle Fiscus. Governor Lee said he supported Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey’s decision to terminate Dr. Fiscus and steer the department away from marketing the vaccine to Tennessee children. “We should …

The Advocate reports: Tennessee businesses and other public spaces will soon have to put up warning signs if they allow transgender people to use the restrooms and changing rooms aligning with their gender identity. That’s under a bill signed into law Monday by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, just three days after he signed another anti-trans “bathroom bill,” that one regulating …