Paul Rose
Paul Rose is a Republican member of the Tennessee Senate, representing District 32 — Tipton County and part of Shelby County — since 2019. Entries naming him record his sponsorship of legislation later signed by the governor, and he appears in the record as a bill sponsor rather than as an enacting or signing authority.
2026 Events (2)
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed SB1989 shielding "biological sex" parenting from abuse findings and custody loss
On April 27, 2026, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed SB1989 (Public Chapter 846), which provides that a parent or guardian raising a child "in a manner consistent with the child's biological sex" cannot be a basis for a court finding of child abuse, neglect, or endangerment, and must not be considered a negative factor in a custody determination. The Senate passed the bill 27-6 on March 12 and the House 79-16 on April 14, and the law took effect the day it was signed.
Tennessee enacted HB1665, barring healthcare providers from asking minor patients about gender identity
On April 13, 2026, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed HB1665 (companion SB1664), enacted as Public Chapter 748, which prohibits healthcare providers from knowingly or willfully asking a minor gender-identity-related questions and bars health insurers, managed-care organizations, and reimbursement entities from requiring or requesting that providers ask such questions. The House passed the bill 72-21 on March 16, 2026, and the Senate 27-6 on March 19; the law takes effect October 1, 2026. Advocates and public-health groups have described it as an "anti-trans medical censorship" measure that discourages clinicians from discussing gender identity with minor patients.
2024 Events (1)
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a law shielding foster and adoptive parents who refuse to affirm a child's LGBTQ identity
On April 17, 2024, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed SB1738, the "Tennessee Foster and Adoptive Parent Protection Act," codified as Public Chapter 677 and effective July 1, 2024. The law bars the Department of Children's Services from requiring foster or adoptive parents to affirm any government policy on sexual orientation or gender identity that conflicts with their religious or moral beliefs, and from denying eligibility or placement on that basis. It passed the Senate 25-6 and the House 73-20.
2020 Events (1)
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed HB 836 shielding faith-based adoption agencies that deny LGBTQ+ families
On January 24, 2020, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed House Bill 836 into law as Public Chapter 514, amending Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 36, Chapter 1, Part 1. The law bars the state from requiring a private licensed child-placing agency to perform, assist, consent to, refer, or participate in any foster-care or adoption placement that would violate the agency's written religious or moral convictions, and shields such agencies from lawsuits and licensing retaliation for refusing an applicant on those grounds. It passed the Senate 20-6 on January 14, 2020, after passing the House 67-22 on April 1, 2019.