[6] Article III Section 9 of the state constitution empowers the governor to call the General Assembly into special session, with the subjects to be considered limited to matters specified in the proclamation.

The Executive Department cabinet includes Commissioners of Agriculture, Commerce, Correction, Developmental Disability, Education, Environment, General Services, Health, Finance, Labor, among others.

[11] Before being inaugurated as governor, then Governor-elect Bill Lee announced two appointments: Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes for the Department of Military and Ret.

[13] Along with announcing new cabinet members, Bill Lee also announced a new website where Tennesseans can apply to work in the administration and check on policy issues called Bill Lee Transition Article III Section 11 of the Tennessee Constitution provides that the governor shall, "from time to time, give to the General Assembly information of the state of the government, and recommend for their consideration such measures as he shall judge expedient."

For that reason, I am particularly proud of this: in my budget, we are making the largest single contribution to our Rainy Day Fund in the state's history.

When this budget is implemented, our Rainy Day Fund will be $1.1 billion – the largest it has ever been in both real dollars and as a percentage of our overall revenue.

[16] Bill Haslam and his predecessor, Phil Bredesen, both were independently wealthy before taking office and refused to accept state salaries for their service as governor.

Other notable governors include Willie Blount (William's half-brother), Sam Houston (better known for his role as the President of the Republic of Texas), and future U.S. Presidents James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson Bill Lee, Republican, is the 50th governor of Tennessee, succeeding Bill Haslam in 2019.

Phil Bredesen created the HealthCare America Corporation[24] and Bill Haslam has held multiple chair and executive positions and is a co-owner of a minor league baseball team.

Biographer Carl S. Driver opined in 1932 that "Most of the evidence appears to lend weight to the fact that political sectionalism in Tennessee began with the break between Jackson and Sevier.

Following the Battle of Gonzales—which marked the beginning of the Texas Revolution in earnest—Houston took overall command of the Texian Army and led it to victory against Mexico.

He is most well known for the TN Promise and Reconnect Programs, which allow students to attend a community college for two years with free tuition.

He announced Cover Tennessee in 2006 as "a partnership between the state and small business to help adults buy affordable insurance that follows them, no matter where they work, and that doesn't require high deductibles on the front end.

[34] His handling of TennCare, namely that he cut more than 170,000 people from the rolls for the sake of the budget, was criticized, and it played a role in his Senate race in 2018.

Since governor Haslam, much emphasis has been placed on education and increasing the number of students enrolling in technical and community colleges.

Bill Lee has continued this priority by proposing a budget to increase funding for school safety and resource officers.

Democratic and Republican administrations alike have carried the belief that a well balanced budget should always be paramount when shaping policy in Tennessee.

In 1996 Sundquist focused heavily on ethics and welfare reforms and played a role in the creation of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority and the Families First Act.

[41] Replacing the previous Public Service Commission, the Families First Act dropped the number of welfare recipients from 70,000 to 30,000 in an effort to reduce state expenditures.

[41] In his second term Sundquist created the ConnectTn program which made Tennessee the first state in the country to provide internet use in public libraries and schools.

[43] Phil Bredesen campaigned to reduce waste in state government, reform TennCare, and improve Tennessee schools.

In 2004, Bredesen enacted TennCare reform, cutting the budget by more than half and removing nearly 200,000 citizens from being eligible for Medicaid.

[44] In 2006 Bredesen created Cover Tennessee protecting Tennesseans with preexisting conditions and expanding care to uninsured children.

The bill also included a plan called "Fast Track", which aimed to provide incentives for companies to move to Tennessee.

Tennessee Promise gives Tennesseans the opportunity of two free years of community college or technical school.

In 2017, Haslam introduced the IMPROVE Act which aimed to provide funding for $10 billion of needed road construction.