Untitled Document

2009 State of the State/Budget Message

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Idaho taxpayers are struggling. And that means we must fulfill our commitment to keep increasing the grocery tax credit. The budget I’m submitting today does just that and holds us to a principle-based policy that empowers Idahoans.

Of course, education is the surest and best way to empower Idahoans to reach their own greatest potential – and, by extension, to help our state become what America was meant to be. Providing Idaho children with a quality education is a constitutional imperative, and it is a proper role of government.

Yet costs and bureaucratic hurdles associated with the administration and governance of education too often keep us from doing as much as we should to prepare our children to become citizens capable of fully participating in society and the economy.

So I will be presenting you with a comprehensive plan for reorganizing our education policy and governance system on the state level.

The plan was developed in close cooperation with the State Board of Education and the State Department of Education. It was reviewed by Senator Goedde, Representative Nonini, Board President Milford Terrell, Superintendent Tom Luna and many others.

Our goal is clarifying responsibilities and lines of authority for programs that represent almost two-thirds of our total General Fund expenditures. The State Board of Education now is far too involved in the day-to-day operations of such programs as the Commission for Libraries, the Historical Society, Vocational Rehabilitation and even the Archeological Survey. While each is important individually, they are not properly within the Board of Education’s oversight.

To achieve our goal, I will be proposing legislation returning the Board of Education to the policy-setting mission envisioned in the Idaho Constitution.

My plan also will reinforce the State Department of Education’s role as THE state agency responsible for K-12 education. Many operational functions now in the Boards’ hands will be shifted to the Department of Education or the Department of Self-Governing Agencies.

The result will be a Board refocused on oversight, higher education, and the big policy issues facing our educational community statewide. What’s more, these changes will help US more effectively and efficiently pursue our goal of creating a public school system in Idaho that is second to none – one that puts aside shopworn practices and prejudices to seek excellence for every Idaho child.

While I’m on the topic of preparing ourselves for the future, let’s talk for a minute about health care.
As you know, with the help of Joyce McRoberts, I convened a panel of leading health-care stakeholders from throughout Idaho in August 2007. It developed recommendations for how to make health care more affordable and accessible for Idahoans.

I then formed a smaller Select Committee of health-care experts led by Stephen Weeg to take those recommendations on the road and listen to what Idahoans had to say. The committee members have my sincere thanks. And I want to wish Chairman Weeg a full and speedy recovery from his recent successful heart surgery.

Talk about going the extra mile to explore an issue!

So this coming Saturday, January 17th, I will reconvene the original Idaho Health Care Summit participants to review the Select Committee’s findings and develop a final implementation plan.
But the committee’s recommendations also include some steps that can be taken immediately, and at little or no cost to taxpayers. They include the HEALTHY IDAHO program – affordable individual and family insurance packages for citizens between the ages of 25 and 40 – who make up the largest group of Idahoans who are uninsured.

The packages are offered by private insurers who have been working in partnership with my Select Committee. They offer wellness and preventive care with low co-pays, deductibles as low as $1,000 and premiums of $200 or less per month.

Easy-to-understand information and everything you need to enroll is available through a “Healthy Idaho” link on the Idaho Department of Insurance Web site.

At the same time, our Idaho Health Data Exchange is making great progress in connecting doctors, hospitals, and other health-care facilities to enhance the coordination and quality of care for Idahoans throughout our state.

We are stepping up our efforts to inform doctors about the Exchange and sign them up to participate. What health-care providers are finding is that the Exchange will enable them to receive and review test results on their patients electronically, communicate securely with other participating doctors, and even use the system’s e-prescription functions.

The idea is to make quality health care more efficient, less costly and – as a result – more accessible to all Idahoans. Yet greater accessibility and affordability are only possible if we have the health-care providers available to treat Idahoans.

I applaud the efforts you have approved so far to increase the number of nurses and other health-care professionals being trained to meet the growing demand for their services right here at home.
But I think we can all agree that our growing and aging population needs more.

So at the recommendation of my Select Committee, I’m establishing an Idaho Health Professions Education Council to lead and coordinate our efforts to address our needs today and into the future.
This is an idea that has worked well in Utah and other states. I’ve asked Lewis-Clark State College Vice President and Provost Tony Fernandez to lead the council. It will have no more than eight members, and will include representatives from our colleges and universities, health organizations, and members of the public. To keep it focused on its mission, the council won’t become part of any bureaucracy or take on any larger agenda. And it will report directly to me.

Now before we wrap this up, let me take just a couple of minutes to mention an upcoming event – the likes of which Idaho has never seen. As you know, the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games are coming to Idaho next month!

What you probably did not know is that it will include more athletes and participating nations than the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. There also will be thousands of coaches, officials, families, friends and fans traveling here.

The World Winter Games will be the largest multi-day winter sporting event ever held in our state. Folks, February 7th through the 13th will be an opportunity for all of Idaho to shine in the international spotlight.

Thanks to the generous support of you and the people of Idaho, the incredible leadership of my friends Chip Fisher and Jim Schmit, and the work of their entire team, the World Winter Games promise to be the kind of positive, memorable and inspirational experience that will benefit our state for years to come – FAR beyond the dollars and cents it will generate. So please come out and support our visitors. Be a fan!

Ladies and gentlemen, as most of you know I’ve had hip surgery since my last State of the State address. I also have traveled with Idaho businesses to sell our products in Mexico, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam and Taiwan. I have signed agreements ending years of conflict and legal wrangling over grass field burning and nuclear waste. And I have brought state government to the people in New Plymouth, Firth, Priest River, Malad, Emmett, Arco, Homedale, Sugar City, St. Maries and Rathdrum.

Later this month I will be in Horseshoe Bend to continue my Capital for a Day effort to reach out to people and communities in every corner of Idaho. In these difficult and trying times, it’s more important than ever to ensure that ALL Idahoans have access to the people and programs that serve them.
I know that you share my commitment to that ideal, and to the principles of limited government and unlimited opportunity that shape our thoughts and actions as public servants.

I know that you share my administration’s goals of promoting responsible government, enhancing economic opportunity, and empowering Idahoans. I know that you are as devoted as I am to advancing those goals decisively – with certainty – but also with compassion.

And speaking of compassion, I also think it’s worth noting that the more quickly you do the people’s business the more of their money you save.

With that, let me just say I am proud to be associated with each and every one of you, and to join you in this noble endeavor of continuing to make Idaho what America was meant to be. Thank you. Good luck and Godspeed.