PREVIEW:  Gov. Lee’s State of the State Defines “America at Its Best”

Published 4:13 pm Monday, January 31, 2022

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee will give his annual State of the State Address on Monday in Nashville..

The address is set to begin at 6 p.m. CT, or 7 p.m. ET in the House Chamber of the Tennessee State Capitol.

The 2022 address will pay homage to 225 years of statehood by building on the state slogan “Tennessee – America at Its Best”.

Today, our country faces challenges of a different kind, but I believe now more than ever, Tennessee embodies America at Its Best. And in order to ensure that, I am proposing a budget and America at Its Best policies that reinforce freedom, innovation, exceptionalism and optimism.

In recent history, big government has attempted to take over society instead of contributing to it. That’s no way to live, and Tennessee has pushed back on that big government. In fact, Tennessee has recently been ranked as one of the top five freest states in the country.

My office has proposed and supported some of the soundest pro-life legislation in the country. Thanks to our partners in the legislature, we passed thoughtful laws that protected the unborn and supported expecting mothers. If the federal courts return full authority to the states, Tennessee’s laws will automatically provide the maximum possible protection and offer a glimmer of redemption as America reconciles our troubled past. I believe Tennessee can be a major part of that reconciliation by offering both hope and resources to families in crisis.

We pay a staggering $900 million dollars per day in national debt interest payments. This is a bipartisan problem working within a broken system, but states with balanced budgets offer a guide to what could be if Washington would just act. While Washington saddles our kids with trillions of dollars of debt, Tennessee’s strong fiscal position allows us to instead invest on their behalf.

Make no mistake – Tennessee is “Working People USA” and we will do whatever it takes to train and retrain Tennesseans so that both our businesses and our families can thrive.

To watch Governor Lee’s 2022 State of the State Address, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1iyeVESqLI