Nashville, Tenn. – Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced today the State of Tennessee’s recommendations to reopen schools for the 2020-2021 school year.

Nashville, Tenn. – Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced today the State will launch a public service announcement campaign that urges all Tennesseans to fight against the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask. The ad campaign, titled “Face It. Masks Fight COVID-19”, will run on broadcast and cable television, digital, social media, print, and billboards statewide.

Today Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and the Financial Stimulus Accountability Group announced $150 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds will be made available to Tennessee non-profits to assist their ongoing efforts to address the ongoing health and economic impacts of COVID-19.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and the Financial Stimulus Accountability Group announced an additional $115 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds will be made available to local governments to offset costs incurred from responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nashville, Tenn. – Tennessee’s Economic Recovery Group, in partnership with the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, released new Tennessee Pledge guidelines today with safety measures for media production. The new guidelines were created to address needs unique to the film, TV and music industry like filming on location, working with cast and crew, equipment, transportation and more.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced today the federal government is granting his request for Major Disaster Declaration and making federal recovery assistance available to 20 counties impacted from severe weather, flooding, and straight-line winds on May 3 and May 4, 2020.

The State Capitol Commission will meet tomorrow to take up the issue of the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust and its future in our statehouse. Tomorrow’s commission meeting has been more than a year in the making as appointments have been made to the Capitol Commission and options for the bust have been evaluated with respect to those who want to see it remain in the statehouse and those who want to see it moved to an alternate location.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed Executive Order 54 to grant county mayors in 89 counties the authority to issue local mask requirements in the event of a significant rise in COVID-19 cases.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced a partnership with the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Tennessee Sheriffs’ Association and the Peace Officer Standards & Training Commission to enhance policies, improve information sharing and increase officer training.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced today the State Capitol Commission will convene on July 9, 2020 and announced the reappointment of Howard Gentry to the commission as the Middle Tennessee citizen member.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced that Tennessee has the fewest distressed counties statewide since 2007, down from 15 in 2019 to 11 counties according to the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Governor Bill Lee today signed Executive Order No. 50 to extend the State of Emergency related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to August 29, 2020. The order allows the continued suspension of various laws and regulations and other measures in these orders to facilitate the treatment and containment of COVID-19 through regulatory flexibility, promoting social distancing and avoidance of large gatherings, and protecting vulnerable populations.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Governor Bill Lee today announced the appointment of Dr. Logan C. Hampton, President of Lane College, to the State Capitol Commission West Tennessee citizen seat. Governor Lee also announced Finance & Administration Commissioner Butch Eley will serve as the commission chairman, filling Stuart McWhorter’s vacancy.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Governor Bill Lee’s Unified Command Group announced today that nearly all of Tennessee’s 700 long-term care facilities have completed the required COVID-19 testing of residents and staff, as part of the state’s efforts to protect the health of vulnerable populations.