NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee released 2024 highlights and accomplishments that have contributed to greater opportunity, security and freedom for all Tennesseans.

“Tennessee is a remarkable place with a richness of passionate people of all kinds, an unrivaled culture and deep-rooted traditions,” said Gov. Lee. “We are also a state that is focused on opportunity, security, and freedom for all of her people. For the remainder of my time in office, I believe our job is to fortify that which has been built over the years, and to remember the work it took to get here, and I am confident that Tennessee’s best days are ahead.”

Tennesseans are invited to view and share photo highlights from the year here.

Thriving Economy

Tennessee is one of the best states to do business, with one of the lowest tax burdens of all 50 states and one of the fastest growing economies in the nation. This year, companies invested over $2.7 billion in the state and committed more than 9,000 new jobs for Tennesseans. Tennessee’s unemployment rate remained consistently below the national rate, after hitting the lowest unemployment rate in history of 3.1 percent in July 2023. Lee’s budget provided more than $393 million in recurring funding to deliver tax cuts and spur economic growth and $1.5 billion in non-recurring funding to simplify the franchise tax in Tennessee. In partnership with the General Assembly, the Lee administration dedicated $100 million to Tennessee’s Rainy Day Fund, bringing totals to more than $2 billion.

Tourism is a top driver of Tennessee’s economy, and Gov. Lee announced the Tennessee’s first Major League Baseball game, the MLB Speedway Classic, will be played at Bristol Motor Speedway in August 2025. The MLB Speedway Classic is the second event to be awarded funding from the Special Event Fund, which was created in partnership with the General Assembly and appropriated $25 million in the state budget for a fund to attract and retain high-profile events that deliver significant economic impact, create jobs, and showcase the state to a global audience.

Skilled Workforce

Tennessee led the nation by becoming the first to address the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the music industry, when Gov. Lee signed the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act into law. The first-of-its-kind legislation updated Tennessee’s Protection of Personal Rights law to include protections for songwriters, performers, and music industry professionals’ voice from the misuse of AI. Tennessee’s music industry supports more than 61,617 jobs across the state, contributes $5.8 billion to our GDP, and fills over 4,500 music venues. 

Quality Education

This year, Lee prioritized K-12 public education by investing an additional $261 million in local education agencies through Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA), and Tennessee remains on track to become a top-10 state for starting teacher pay in the nation. Lee also provided greater opportunity for students in Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga with Tennessee’s Education Savings Account (ESA) program, to give parents the ability to pick the best school for their child. Parents of students enrolled in the ESA program are reporting a satisfaction rate of 99 percent, and students enrolled in the program made significant gains, and outperformed their public school peers. In the 2024 legislative session, the General Assembly allocated $144 million to establish Education Freedom Scholarships in the future, to empower parents with the freedom to pick the right school for their child.

Strategic Infrastructure Investments

As families and businesses move to Tennessee in record numbers, the state needs a transportation plan to accommodate growth, address traffic congestion and meet transportation needs across rural and urban communities. Gov. Lee announced a plan to replace the I-55 Bridge over the Mississippi River in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the State of Arkansas, marking the single-largest transportation investment in Tennessee history.

Opportunity for Rural Tennessee

Tennessee’s rural counties have seen tremendous success over the last year, with 51 percent of overall job commitments located in rural areas, bringing the total to more than 9,400. Rural counties have received $2.7 billion in capital investment in 2024. The Lee administration continues working toward its mission to accelerate the transformation of rural Tennessee and reduce the number of distressed counties. This fall, Lee held the sixth annual Rural Opportunity Summit and met with state and local leaders to discuss the continued prosperity of rural Tennessee.

When East Tennessee experienced the unprecedented disaster of Hurricane Helene, Gov. Lee unveiled the Helene Emergency Assistance Loans (HEAL) Program, a $100 million fund to directly serve the health and wellbeing of Tennesseans in the aftermath of the storm. Tennessee’s record of fiscal conservatism placed the State in a strong financial position to make government work for the people and provide communities with immediate relief.

Law Enforcement Support + Enhanced Public Safety

This year, Lee has made significant investments to support law enforcement and keep every Tennessee community safe, including allocating $17 million in funding for an additional 60 State Troopers and related support staff to improve public safety across the state. Additional investments include $8 million to expand the school-based behavioral health liaison program to fund 114 liaisons, giving students across Tennessee schools important resources and mental health support, funding for a National Guard recruitment incentive package and funding for Houses of Worship Security Grants.

Strong Families

Lee has worked to strengthen support for Tennessee families, mothers and children, and the latest state budget dedicated more than $197 million over five years from TennCare shared savings, the largest investment in rural health in Tennessee history, by investing in apprenticeships and skilled training, greater access to specialty healthcare and telemedicine, improved career pathways, hospital and physician practice grants, and a new Center of Excellence to sustain and expand rural health support.

Lee’s latest budget allocated more than $3 million in additional funding to improve access to maternal healthcare and boost critical resources by supporting local nonprofits across the state via the Tennessee Strong Families Grant Program, and eased the financial burden on mothers enrolled in TennCare by becoming the first Medicaid program in the nation to cover the cost of diapers during the first two years of a baby’s life. The Lee administration continued efforts to strengthen foster care and adoption by unveiling a comprehensive strategy that includes a proven recruitment technology, new mechanisms for community and faith organizations to meet tangible needs, and creating a seamless integration for measuring, monitoring and meeting the needs of foster children and families through Every Child Tennessee.

Additionally, Gov. Lee signed the Tennessee Disability and Aging Act, legislation that merged Tennessee’s Commission on Aging and Disability (TCAD) and the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD), effectively creating a new Department of Disability and Aging (DDA). The bill received unanimous, bipartisan legislative support and delivered on the Governor’s commitment to shrink the size of government and ensure the State of Tennessee efficiently and effectively serves all Tennesseans by enabling better coordination and stronger advocacy.

National Security

Lee has taken steps to ensure national security over the past year, authorizing the deployment of two additional waves of Tennessee National Guard troops to secure the U.S. Southern border amid an ongoing national security crisis and surging drug crisis being fueled by an open border.

Brighter Future + Conservation

From Mountain City to Memphis, Tennessee is blessed with natural beauty and rich natural resources, which will only be around for the future if we invest in them today. The Lee administration developed a conservation strategy that balances our state’s economic growth with a plan to protect our environment. The latest state budget allocated $63 million to create eight new Tennessee State Parks in addition to five announced in 2023, with the goal of funding a total of 13 new state parks during the Lee administration.

Gov. Lee signed Executive Order 108 to establish the Duck River Watershed Planning Partnership and further the state’s commitment to balancing economic growth, water resource management, and environmental habitat conservation to ensure the long-term sustainability of Tennessee’s watersheds.

On August 7, Gov. Lee convened the second annual Tennessee Conservation Summit and announced the creation of the Office of Outdoor Recreation to further the state’s conservation efforts and to help residents and visitors enjoy more access to Tennessee’s great outdoors. The annual summit brings together state officials, business and community leaders and conservation stakeholders from across the state to help develop strategic initiatives stewarding Tennessee’s natural heritage for generations to come.

In partnership with the General Assembly, the Lee administration further invested $10 million into the Nuclear Energy Fund to recruit companies to our state that will establish a nuclear development and manufacturing ecosystem built for the future of Tennessee. In 2024, Gov. Lee announced a number of projects that will further strengthen Tennessee’s position as a leader in safe, clean and reliable energy, including Orano USA’s decision to construct a new, multi-billion-dollar, state-of-the-art centrifuge uranium facility in Oak Ridge. The project represents the single-largest economic investment in Tennessee history.

Tennessee Serves

First Lady Maria Lee’s initiative, Tennessee Serves, has experienced the tremendous service and generosity of Tennesseans in the last year. Highlights include distributing backpacks to nearly 2,000 students in economically distressed counties, more than 3,000 hours served by Tennessee children during the Tennessee Kids Serve Summer Challenge and collecting generous food and toiletry donations from thousands of visitors during Tennessee Residence Christmas tours.