Tag: Bill Lee

Governor Lee Issues Executive Order Requiring Residents to Stay Home

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Bill Lee announced Thursday that he will sign an executive order requiring Tennesseans to stay home unless they are engaging in essential activities.

Lee issued an executive order Monday that urged, but didn’t require, residents to stay at home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Under his new order, staying at home isn’t “an option – it’s a requirement for the swift defeat of COVID-19,” said Lee.

The governor said data from the Tennessee Department of Transportation indicated that travel started trending upwards again on March 30 after traffic patterns showed a steep drop-off in vehicle movement between March 13 and 29.

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Governor Bill Lee Orders Tennessee Residents to Stay Home, Except for Essential Business

Chris Butler

To limit the spread of COVID-19, Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee on Monday issued an executive order telling state residents to stay home unless they are engaging in essential activities.

According to the order, businesses or organizations that do not perform essential services cannot remain open for public access. Lee’s order encourages those businesses to provide delivery, including curbside delivery, to the greatest extent possible. Lee also ordered that Tennesseans limit their essential activity to the greatest extent possible.

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Tennessee Medical Association Asks All Mayors to Issue Shelter in Place Orders

Anthony Gockowski

The Tennessee Medical Association (TMA) sent a letter to every mayor in the state Friday asking them to request authority from Gov. Bill Lee to issue shelter-in-place orders for their communities.

Lee has thus far declined to issue a statewide shelter-in-place order, which prompted more than 2,000 health care workers to sign a petition asking him to change course, The Tennessee Star reported. As of Sunday, 26 states had issued stay-at-home orders, including the neighboring states of North Carolina and Kentucky.

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Gov. Lee Says His ‘Expectation’ Is That Abortion Clinics Would Cancel Procedures During Pandemic

Anthony Gockowski

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Wednesday that it is his “hope and expectation” that abortion clinics would cancel elective procedures during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lee issued an executive order Monday that requires all hospitals and surgical outpatient facilities to cancel or postpone all “non-essential procedures” through April 13. The intent of the order is to free up personal protective equipment for health care professionals on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

His executive order asks “non-hospital health care providers,” such as abortion facilities, to deliver any personal protective equipment in their possession to the nearest Tennessee National Guard Armory.

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Governor Bill Lee Orders Bars And Restaurants to Close

Anthony Gockowski

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued an executive action Sunday ordering the closure of bars, restaurants, and other places of public accommodation in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created both an economic and a health crisis and our response must continue to address both aspects,” Lee said in a statement. “Our goal is to keep the public, especially vulnerable populations, safe while doing everything possible to keep Tennesseans in a financially stable position.”

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Connecticut Relents, Orders All Labs to Report Negative Coronavirus Test Results, Leaving Ohio One of Two States to Fail to Comply With Federal Law

Jason M. Reynolds

The State of Connecticut has gotten on board with the CDC to report negative test results to help the agency better track the spread of the coronavirus, leaving Ohio and Maryland as the only holdouts in complying with federal law.

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Gov. Lee Says Churches Are ‘Risking People’s Lives’ By Continuing to Hold Services

Anthony Gockowski

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said during a Friday press conference that churches that continue to hold services are putting people’s lives at risk.

“Churches that continue to meet and gather with elderly and putting groups of people in the same setting, quite frankly, they’re risking people’s lives,” Lee said during an update on the COVID-19 outbreak in Tennessee. “There are ways to worship and there are ways to serve without congregating people, and I’m urging and challenging churches to do just that.”

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Governor Bill Lee: ‘I Urge Every School District in Tennessee to Close As Soon As Practically Possible’

Chris Butler

Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee said Monday that he wants all school districts in the state to close as soon as possible and to remain closed until the end of this month.

“As the response to COVID-19 evolves, I urge every school district in Tennessee to close as soon as practically possible, with all schools expected to close by Friday, March 20, 2020 at the latest. Schools should remain closed through March 31, 2020 to further mitigate the spread of this infectious disease and we will issue further guidance prior to March 31,” Lee said in a statement.

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Memphis Officials Oppose Gov. Bill Lee’s Constitutional Carry Bill

Chris Butler

Members of the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission say they formally oppose Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s Constitutional Carry bill.

This, according to the Memphis-based WREG, which said this came about after members took a vote.

“The Crime Commission says 39 out of 49 participating members voted to oppose the governor’s gun plan,” the station reported.

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Governor Lee Files Heartbeat ‘Caption’ Bill as Language Remains Unknown

Julie Carr

On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Tennessee State Senator Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) in the studio to talk about “caption bills” and Governor Bill Lee’s recent press conference about the new Heartbeat Bill.

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UPDATED – The Deep State Strikes Again as a Clinton-Appointed Federal Judge Halts President Trump’s Refugee Resettlement Executive Order

Zachery Schmidt
Judge Peter Messitte and President Trump

In a statement from the White House Wednesday evening, Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham called this ruling “preposterous” and yet another example of a lawless district court asserting its own immigration policy in front of standing US law. Furthermore, she says this ruling “robbed” millions of Americans from having a direct say in something that directly affects their communities.

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Common Sense from New American Populist’s Jeff Webb: Resettle Refugees in Countries Similar to Their Own Culture, not Tennessee

Julie Carr

Live from Memphis on the newsmakers line Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.– Leahy was joined by the New American Populist founder, Jeff Webb to speak about the refugee resettlement issue facing Tennessee and his common-sense solution.

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Possible Push Back from Tennessee General Assembly Against Gov. Lee’s Refugee Decision

Julie Carr

During a specific discussion, Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.– host Leahy welcomed all-star panelists Crom Carmichael and Carol Swain to the show.

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Governor Lee Thumbs Nose to State Legislature in Decision to Approve Refugee Resettlement in Tennessee

Julie Carr

In a specific interview, Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined in studio by former Vanderbilt professor and Nashville mayoral candidate Dr. Carol Swain.

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Tennessee Gives Out $2.4 Million of Taxpayer Money to 59 Counties

Chris Butler

  Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe have announced that 59 counties will receive $2.4 million of taxpayer money for various community development initiatives. State officials are disbursing this money through what is known as a ThreeStar grant program. These community…

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