This year, Gov. Bill Lee has signed nearly 500 bills into law — a good number of which take effect July 1, 2023. Here’s a list of some of those.
Federal judge blocks Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth
In Judge Eli Richardson’s ruling, he writes that criminalizing gender-affirming care for trans kids, but not for cisgender or intersex kids, “imposes disparate treatment on the basis of sex.”
Gun reform advocates are demanding action ahead of gun-specific special session
Gun safety advocates in Tennessee have ramped up their call for the General Assembly to make substantive changes to the state’s gun laws. In the past week, groups have held rallies in Middle Tennessee as well as press conferences across the state.
A new Tennessee law blocks some immigrants from buying property
A new law aims to prevent foreign governments from buying agricultural land in Tennessee. But it has a wide scope that could affect certain people and not just their countries.
What’s next for the case against Tennessee’s drag restrictions
The fate of a first-of-its-kind law restricting drag in Tennessee is now in the hands of a federal judge. Attorneys in a legal challenge to the new law delivered closing arguments Tuesday.
Tennessee’s governor says he wants to ‘minimize the politics’ between the state and Nashville, after a legislative session full of bills targeting the city
Republicans in the General Assembly unhappy with Nashville’s elected leaders made their displeasure known throughout this year’s legislative session. They passed measures to cut Metro Council in half, change the makeup of Nashville’s sports and airport authorities, and disband the community oversight board.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says late summer date for special session on guns wasn’t his call
Most public schools in the state will start this August, shortly before a special session on gun reform starts. That has some advocates speculating that Gov. Bill Lee had that in mind when he selected Aug. 21.
Gov. Bill Lee signs law to fund school security. Activists say it doesn’t address the root of the problem.
Gov. Bill Lee signed on Wednesday what he says is the first response to the Covenant School shooting. It’s a school safety package that opponents say does not address the real issue.
TennCare’s fraud unit receives funding again, despite WPLN’s report showing lackluster results
Tennessee’s Medicaid program, TennCare, has a unit dedicated to rooting out potential fraud among beneficiaries and caregivers. A WPLN story from February showed that while costing taxpayers $6.4 million each year, they recoup far less than that.
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