Today, Governor Bill Lee provided an update on Tennessee’s efforts regarding COVID-19 relief. Gov. Lee’s daily press conferences can be viewed live each day this week at 3 p.m. CDT here. Gov. Lee has also established a website specific to COVID-19 updates which can be found here.

As our nation works diligently to halt the spread of COVID-19, there is no question that agriculture is vital for the most important aspects of our daily lives. Under Governor Bill Lee’s Executive Order 22, agriculture is deemed an essential service.

NASHVILLE – In the middle of a global pandemic, the men and women incarcerated in Tennessee prisons are remembering families whose lives were interrupted by a different emergency. In prisons across the state, inmates have come together to raise more than $1,000 for tornado relief efforts.

NASHVILLE--Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions Commissioner Greg Gonzales announced today that the maximum effective formula rate of interest in Tennessee is 7.25 percent per annum. The rate is based on a ceiling of 4 percent over the weekly average prime loan rate of 3.25 percent as published by the Federal Reserve on March 30, 2020.

NASHVILLE, TN— The Tennessee Department of Education and Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) announced a statewide partnership with ReadyRosie, an early education online platform, to provide short videos and free resources with simple, engaging activities for Tennessee families and children, ages birth through 3rd grade, to do at home.

NASHVILLE – The state of Tennessee, in partnership with the Tennessee Grocer and Convenience Store Association, Tennessee Retail Association, and Hospitality TN, has formed the Tennessee Talent Exchange powered by Jobs4TN.

NASHVILLE – The state of Tennessee, in partnership with the Tennessee Grocer and Convenience Store Association, Tennessee Retail Association, and Hospitality TN, has formed the Tennessee Talent Exchange powered by Jobs4TN.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry is closing the campsites at Prentice Cooper and Franklin State Forests until further notice. A surge in the number of campers is creating safety and health concerns for the public and forestry staff.

I write to you at a time of great challenge for our state and local communities. Countless individuals have contacted me to express feelings of fear, anxiety, and stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While we do not possess all the answers about the COVID-19 crisis, I am writing to offer suggestions that I hope will be instructive and empowering in the midst of such uncertainty. Pat Summitt, the acclaimed Lady Volunteers coach, would no doubt give us a legendary pep talk if alive today. That pep talk might start with a quote of hers: "Attitude is a choice. Think positive thoughts daily. Believe in yourself."

NASHVILLE – In an effort to aid Tennessee consumers, business owners and employees affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) requests that licensed insurance companies in Tennessee work with restaurants and employees to ensure that restaurant em-ployees now engaged in delivering food options during the pandemic are fully insured either under their personal automobile policy or via a restaurant’s commercial automobile policy.

Regional Unemployment Claim numbers as of March 21, 2020