A new law stripping people’s voting rights for camping on restricted state property is drawing heat from voting rights advocates and state lawmakers who say it is unjustified.

Gov. Bill Lee may have stayed within his boundaries during a state of emergency brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but legislators still want more “checks and balances” and probably a bigger say in how orders are executed.

Republican state Rep. Tom Leatherwood of Arlington believes schools will have a hard time staying open this year because of quarantine rules and the impact of one person testing positive for COVID-19.

Republican Gov. Bill Lee and Democratic state Sen. Raumesh Akbari are defending a defunct proposal by the Tennessee Department of Education for “child wellbeing checks” at homes statewide while some lawmakers call the program “overreach.”

Gov. Bill Lee is shifting positions on releasing COVID-19 figures in schools, saying he wants to make the information public and is seeking federal approval.

House Minority Leader Karen Camper is recuperating at her Memphis home under the care of a physician after contracting COVID-19.

A Sons of Confederate Veterans lawsuit against the state contends the State Capitol Commission has no authority over the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest and that a vote to relocate it should be “null and void.”

School districts throughout the state are taking different approaches to reporting COVID-19 cases. Some are prepared to notify parents and the public about outbreaks, while others are only notifying the parents of children who may have come into contact with a positive case.

State Sen. Raumesh Akbari concentrated on women’s issues in her portion of the keynote address backing Joe Biden in a virtual Democratic National Convention Tuesday night, Aug. 18.

When Southeastern Conference teams begin playing a 10-game conference-only schedule Sept. 26, the University of Tennessee Volunteers could play football in Neyland Stadium this season with only 25,000 fans.

The state senator is accused of embezzlement and wire fraud in connection with her business, The Healthcare Institute.

Gov. Bill Lee’s media briefing is scheduled for 4 p.m. today.

The lawsuit asks the Davidson County Chancery Court to declare the Capitol Commission’s recent vote to remove the Forrest bust “null and void.”

State Rep. Mike Carter, who missed last week's legislative special session, has been hospitalized with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit at a Chattanooga hospital.

State Sen. Raumesh Akbari will give a keynote speech Tuesday, Aug. 18, with 16 other “rising stars” at the Democratic National Convention.

While some Republicans shied away from the notion they were targeting protesters with legislation toughening penalties for rowdiness, Democrats said the GOP-controlled Legislature put a "knee on their neck" during the 111th General Assembly second extraordinary special session.

Feeling heat from state lawmakers, parents and school districts, the Lee Administration is reversing a massive plan for school districts to conduct “welfare checks” on every child in the state because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Democratic candidate Torrey Harris fired a shot at state Rep. John DeBerry in the state House District 90 race, criticizing his support of legislation designed to crack down on protesters statewide and around the Capitol.

Legislation making camping on restricted state property a felony is “ludicrous,” state Sen. Raumesh Akbari said as the Legislature wrapped up a special session designed, in part, to stop “lawless” activity and send protesters packing.

Gov. Bill Lee’s press briefing is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13.

The Tennessee Department of Human Services is reminding parents the deadline is approaching to apply for a program to help provide food for their children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tennessee lawmakers passed legislation Wednesday, Aug. 12, setting a "higher bar" for people to sue businesses, schools and healthcare facilities accused of making them sick through negligence.

Legislation to toughen penalties for protesters around the Capitol passed the Legislature Wednesday, including a provision making illegal camping on state property a felony offense.

Democratic lawmaker called the House’s Republican leader a “liar” for saying those who voted against a legislative crackdown on protesters support spitting on law enforcements officers.

Senate committees are set to consider competing legislation Tuesday dealing with COVID-19 liability immunity and the punishment of protesters in the Legislature’s special session.