“thoughtful and principled and wise in the days ahead as we work with this new administration, because that’s what our country needs the most.”
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Bill Lee
William Byron Lee is an American businessman and politician who has served since 2019 as the 50th governor of Tennessee. A member of the Republican Party, Lee was president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Lee Company, a business operated by his family, from 1992 to 2016.
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business · Governor of Tennessee since 2019 · politician · businessperson · governor · also Bill Lee, Bill Lee (Tennessee politician), William Byron Lee, Lee
Born 9 October 1959 · Q58321685
47 published statements · 0 followers
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Bill Lee on protecting seniors amid the COVID-19 pandemic
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we in fact will be strengthening laws that would help prevent gun crimes in the future.
89%Associated PressSource
2026· 6 entries
“we in fact will be strengthening laws that would help prevent gun crimes in the future.”
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“Every decision has multiple components to it. Being a person of faith, that gives you a lens through which you look.”
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“I can’t see whether the tone of the conversation or the attitudes of the public will change or the legislature will change, I have no way of foreseeing that.”
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“I don’t think that’s the role of government,”
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“maximum protection possible for both mother and child”
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2025· 1 entry
Lee proposed the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, which provides roughly 20,000 scholarships worth $7,500 to be used for private school tuition, at a total cost of $447 million
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2024· 4 entries
Lee signed a law allowing public officials to refuse to marry couples "for reasons of conscience or other religious beliefs", including same-sex couples
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Lee signed a law allowing public officials to refuse to perform marriages that they oppose for "reasons of conscience or other religious beliefs", including refusing to perform interracial or interfaith marriages
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Lee joined five other Republican governors (Kay Ivey of Alabama, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Henry McMaster of South Carolina, and Greg Abbott of Texas) in a statement opposing the United Auto Work
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Signed into law a bill that would impose the death penalty on people convicted of child rape, but the law is unenforceable due to Kennedy v
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2023· 3 entries
Lee officially called for a special session of the General Assembly to be held on August 21 to focus on public safety in response to the shooting
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Lee did not initially call for any gun control, saying: "There will come a time to discuss and debate policy
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Lee declared that he would sign the Adult Entertainment Act, which bans public drag performances; the first violation of the law would be a misdemeanor, while the second would be a felony
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2022· 7 entries
Published video “Governor Lee Acceptance Speech”.
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Published video “Tennessee Works Bus Tour”.
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Published video “Bill Lee - You Have My Word”.
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Published video “Bill Lee - Priorities”.
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Published video “Bill Lee - Families First”.
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Lee signed a bill into law that prohibits localities in Tennessee from using ranked-choice voting
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Lee set a temporary moratorium on Tennessee's death penalty, citing concerns about botched executions
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2021· 5 entries
Snopes.com rated the claim “In August 2021, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order that authorized the construction of "quarantine camps" for individuals who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19.” False.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
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Two days after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U
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Lee appointed John DeBerry as his senior advisor
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Lee blocked the Tennessee Department of Health from reaching out to teenagers to encourage them to get vaccinated
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“a managed public health issue in Tennessee and no longer a statewide public health emergency”
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2020· 5 entries
Several weeks before the presidential election, Lee supported Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacant seat, citing her position on abortion
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An "I will breathe" protest was held in Nashville in protest of Floyd's murder, during which a man set fire to the Davidson County Courthouse; the building was not severely damaged
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Lee signed an executive order allowing gyms in 89 out of 95 counties to open on May 1
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In response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases, Lee issued an executive order declaring a temporary state of emergency in Tennessee to "facilitate the treatment and containment of COVID-19
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Campaign: 2020 presidential election.
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2019· 7 entries
Published video “Gov. Bill Lee Inaugural Address - 1/19/19”.
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And delivered his first State of the State address to the Tennessee General Assembly in March 2019
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Lee proposed repealing Tennessee's 10% amusement tax on gym, fitness center, and health club fees, arguing that the tax discourages Tennesseans from being physically active
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Career landmark: Governor of Tennessee (2019).
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With the support of Republican state legislators, Lee loosened Tennessee's handgun law, allowing "concealed-carry-only" handgun permits to be obtained without requiring applicants to show an ability to fire a weapon
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After his attendance came to light, Lee expressed regret for his participation: "I never intentionally acted in an insensitive way, but with the benefit of hindsight, I can see that participating in that was insensitive
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Lee allowed a sports betting legalization bill to become law without his signature
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2018· 4 entries
Published video “Bill Lee - Great”.
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Published video “Bill Lee - Marcus”.
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Published video “Bill Lee - Schools”.
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Published video “Bill Lee - Choice”.
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2017· 1 entry
Lee described himself as a social conservative
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2008· 1 entry
Lee lives in Fernvale with his second wife, Maria, whom he married in October 2008.
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1986· 1 entry
Sutton dealt drugs in the prison, prompting an addicted inmate who was a convicted pedophile to threaten to stab him in order to obtain more drugs; Sutton and three other inmates later went into his cell and stabbed him
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1977· 1 entry
And graduated in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering
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1959· 1 entry
Born 1959-10-09.
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