Governor Lee delivers final State of the State Address

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Governor Bill Lee delivered his final State of the State Address Monday night, and there’s a lot to break down.

It was the governor’s eighth and last state of the state address. A 45-minute speech packed with a lot to cover.

VIDEO: Governor Lee delivers 2025 State of the State Address

But he didn’t jump straight into talking about new bills. Instead, he started by honoring the people still dealing with the aftermath of the recent winter storm.

“There are Tennesseans tonight who are still without power. Some are in this room tonight. There are Tennessee families who lost a loved one in this storm. 25 have lost their lives due to this winter storm,” said Gov. Lee.

After that, the governor turned his attention to the lawmakers in the room and ran through some accomplishments from the past few years.

“You drove Tennessee’s poverty rate below the national average for the first time in history. You reached the lowest recidivism rate. You created the best business environment in America. You passed unprecedented pay raises for law enforcement. 42% pay raise for teachers,” said Gov. Lee.

He also talked about how Tennessee’s education levels have climbed recently, and he explained exactly how that happened.

“It didn’t happen by accident. First, we made a historic investment of more than $2.5 billion for our public schools. That’s a 50% increase,” said Gov. Lee.

But the governor isn’t stopping there. He says they’re looking to add another $340 million for public schools in the upcoming budget. The governor also pointed out that 91 of the state’s 95 counties are actually growing right now.

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