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Coming Up: 

SUNDAY, May 20th - WEDNESDAY, May 23rd:


Governor Otter and First Lady Lori Otter travel to New York City for the Republican Governor Association quarterly meeting.  
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Primary Election
       
Congratulations to all the candidates, campaigns and volunteers in last Tuesday's Idaho Primary Election. I was especially pleased by the larger-than-expected voter turnout, so my thanks to our citizens for participating! The races that will be uncontested in November were decided, and in all other cases the matchups are set for the General Election - from county offices to the Legislature and the office in which I have been allowed by the people to serve for the past 12 years. Miss Lori and I are looking forward to observing a spirited campaign season ahead for Republicans and Democrats alike and continued active voter engagement in our free and open electoral process, which remains the envy of the world.  
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Trip to Washington D.C.

 
 
I traveled to Washington, D.C. on May 1st with Idaho House Speaker Scott Bedke and other legislative leaders to meet with U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. The visit focused on discussions about stock water rights and sage-grouse management. We worked on establishing agreement on the proper roles of the state and federal governments in managing water and wildlife. The meetings were very successful as we continue our work with Secretaries Zinke and Perdue on ensuring Idaho's sovereign rights are properly represented.     
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101st Capital for a Day - Declo


 
I would like to thank the good people in the City of Declo for hosting my 101st Capital for a Day last month.  Members of my Cabinet and I headed to south-central Idaho to talk with the local folks and answer questions about their state government. Some of the discussions included my five-year plan for education, the Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy, health insurance coverage for individuals with autism, autonomous vehicles and immigration. We had great participation from the community and I appreciate everyone who attended
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102nd Capital for a Day - Riggins



My Cabinet and I traveled to the Salmon River town of Riggins on Friday, May 18th, for our 102nd Capital for a Day. We talked about issues facing the Idaho County community, including mining regulations, highway speed limits, education, a supplemental levy that local voters just passed, and Riggins designation as one of 28 Opportunity Zones in Idaho - qualifying certain private economic development investments for tax benefits from the federal government. We also highlighted and recognized one of Riggins hometown heroes, former Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, who was picked by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the recent NFL draft. Stay tuned for information on my next Capital for Day
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Cybersecurity Summit

     
 
There was a full house on April 26th at the fourth annual Idaho Cybersecurity Summit in Boise. Representatives from across the state were on hand as large and small businesses participated with State agencies in discussions to protect and secure our cyber networks from potential hackers. The summit had some great guest speakers, including Idaho Director of Information Security Jeff Weak, Micron Technology Chief Information Security Officer J.T. Tietsort, and Idaho Office of Emergency Management Director Brad Richy.  General Richy put it well when he said, "The broad cross-section of expertise represented by attendees from agriculture, technology, state government, healthcare and the legal community made participation in the exercise incredibly helpful. This is the kind of event that underscores the State of Idaho's commitment to being proactive and agile when it comes to cybersecurity threats." I couldn't have put it better myself!   
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Idaho National Guard Deployment

     
 
On April 19th the Idaho Army National guard deployed over 25 soldiers to Afghanistan for a one year mission. The Army National Guard's 1st of the 168th General Support Aviation Battalion is heading to Texas first for some training and then will travel overseas to participate in Operation Freedom Sentinel.  The unit operates the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, and will provide MEDEVAC operations in Afghanistan.  I wish these brave men and women the best of luck and a safe return home.   
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First Lady Focus: Mother of the Year



Last month, the Idaho Association of American Mothers announced its 2018 award winners for Idaho Mother of the Year and the Idaho Mother of Achievement. The award ceremony took place in the Governor's Ceremonial Office, where we recognized the achievements of these two wonderful women.
 
The Idaho Mother of the Year award went to Jill McDonald, who was raised in Council, Idaho. Jill studied art at what then was Ricks College in Rexburg before she and her husband Chris opened a successful bed and breakfast in Alaska. That's where they welcomed their son Connor into the world. At age three, Connor was diagnosed with autism.
 
Determined to help, Jill learned and implemented the Son-Rise method to address Connor's needs. Jill and her family moved to four different states in search of the right social/academic support for Connor before heading back to Idaho to make Rexburg their home. Jill has participated in autism support groups and as a mentor and volunteer presenter for the Son-Rise Program, helping others everywhere they lived.
 
Along with her work with the Son-Rise Program, Jill volunteers her time at school and her church, becoming known as the "art mom" at school and the "costume mom" for a children's theatre. Jill is studying communication and speech disorders with a goal of becoming a speech pathologist because she believes all children should be seen AND heard.
 
The recipient of the Idaho Mother of Achievement award went to Idaho State Senator Abby Lee of Fruitland. She grew up in Dallas, Texas, and fell in love with Idaho after marrying her husband Brian - a fourth-generation Idaho native. They have been married for 25 years now and are parents to two daughters.
 
Senator Lee earned a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University, a master's degree from Boise State University and is completing her Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Boise State. Senator Lee co-chaired the Legislature's two-year Foster Care Study Committee and worked to bring all sides together in the effort to increase transparency and accountability in Idaho's child protection system for our state's most vulnerable children.
 
She was instrumental in creating public policy to improve the foster care system and carried Senate Bill 1341, the Foster Care Improvement Act in 2018, and House Bill 556a in 2016. She also works as the associate vice president of college and community relations at Treasure Valley Community College and has been involved in a regional effort to improve career and technical education for high school students.
 
I congratulate these two hard-working women. The children of Idaho are our greatest resource and deserve the best - and these two women sacrifice an exhausting amount of time and effort to do just that! Keep up the great work; the state of Idaho is proud to have you
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Agency Spotlight: 
Idaho Department of Administration

   
Great Bargains for Tax-Exempt Entities
(& Some Small Businesses)
 
Federal Surplus Properties Program
 
State agencies, tax-exempt entities, and some small businesses, may be unaware that within the Department of Administration lie some of the best bargains around!
 
The Federal Surplus Property (FSP) program, which is part of the Division of Purchasing, assists entities of state government, highway districts, the Boy Scouts of America, and other tax-exempt organizations in receiving "donated" surplus from the Federal Government. The program is not open to the general public; however, the Small Business Administration has a program through which qualifying small businesses may be eligible to participate. 
 
Cost savings available by using Federal Surplus can be a financial boon to Universities, Colleges, and School Districts. For example, ISU's medical training school in Meridian was able to purchase new medical supplies and equipment at very low cost. These items originated from a 250-person Medical Station Kit that was donated from the Center of Disease Control.
 
At any given time there are about 20,000 or more items available at the FSP warehouse located in Caldwell. These items range from tractors to toiletries. New inventory constantly arrives, and the good folks at FSP will even shop around the country (or internationally) to find a specific item of need.  
 
As a convenience, a listing of our FSP warehouse inventory is available online at   http://fsp.idaho.gov/ and is broken down into category lists. These are things a hospital, school, institution, county, city, fire district, highway district, mosquito-abatement district, or state agency may be able to use.
 
Visit our website or contact Sam Sibert, FSP Business Manager at 334-3477 to learn more.   
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Appointments
 
Recent appointments can be found on my website here.
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