Legislative Update
IDL tracks and reports on legislative actions that may impact our operations. We publish this information in the IDL Legislative Update newsletter each week and meet as a team to discuss the legislative session. Archived copies of this newsletter are available on our One Team, One Voice webpage.
- The bill passed in the House on 2/25 with a vote of 49-19-2, and landed on the Senate's third reading calendar after a unanimous vote in Senate Commerce and Human Resources to move the legislation forward with a "do pass" recommendation.
- IDL is grateful to Rep. Dixon for carrying the bill in the House and Sen. Woodward for carrying it in the Senate.
IDL Budget Clears Senate, Near Unanimous Vote
IDL's budget, HB755, passed in the House on 3/14 with a vote of 49-19-2 and cleared the Senate on 3/17 with a vote of 32-1-2. Rep. Troy carried IDL's budget in the House and Sen. Crabtree carried it in the Senate.
During the third reading before the full Senate, Sen. Vick, Sen. Stennett, Sen. Bair, and Sen. Souza all spoke in favor of the budget, lauding IDL's good work. Sen. Zito cast the lone no vote on the Senate floor.
Watch a 7 minute recap of the Senate Hearing for HB755
 Download IDL's FY2023 Budget Fiscal Note
IDL Provides Staff "Contracts 101" Training
IDL employees in leadership positions routinely engage in contracting. Given the importance of contracting to the agency's operations, Deputy Attorney General Angela Kaufmann led an overview of the basic components of effective, enforceable state contracts. IDL's managers in the southern supervisory areas and Boise staff office were invited to attend this valuable training. The two-hour trainings were held on March 16 and 17.
The training covered:
- Definition of a “contract”
- Basic components of a contract
- General provisions in state contracts
- Drafting a contract, word usage, grammar checks
- Examples of specific types of contracts that IDL frequently develops and administers
Staff Onboarding: New IDL Employee Orientation Meeting
IDL's onboarding process for new team members includes an orientation meeting that aligns with monthly Land Board meetings. In addition to attending the Board's hearing and touring the state capitol, new employees meet with each executive team member, receiving a broad overview of the agency's operations and responsibilities.
The onboarding program has been well received. Past program participants have benefitted from:
- “Hearing from the senior management folks about what their areas were doing/working on; Land Board meeting was educational; altogether worthwhile; lunch with Director; meeting other employees.”
- “Meeting executive leadership and discussing their vision for the department.”
- “Lunch with the director and staff, saw the less official side of people.”
- “Probably the best on-boarding/new hire orientation event I have been to.”
- “The capitol tour and the land board meeting.”
- “I thought it was pretty interesting to attend the land board meeting, and to ask questions of the division administrators.”
Superintendent Ybarra to attend IDL's Annual Forestry Contest for Students
IDL's annual Forestry Contest for children in grades 5 through 12 introduces students to basic forestry and resource management principles. Superintendent of Public Instruction and Land Board member Sherri Ybarra will attend this year's event at Farragut State Park.
Typically held on the second Thursday in May, this year's event falls on May 12. The contest is sponsored by the Idaho Department of Lands, Bonner Soil and Water Conservation District, U.S. Forest Service, and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Categories of forestry and resource management skills tested by the contest include log scaling, timber cruising, tree and plant identification, map reading, compass reading and pacing, soils and water quality, and tree health.
Student participants receive individual scores and compete for recognition as the top individual in their division. They can also complete as members of four-person teams with the individual scores of teammates combined to yield a team score.
More than 250 volunteers donate their time to run the contest. In 2019 a record 700 students participated.
Learn more at the Forestry Contest Webpage
 Watch a 1 minute video about the annual Forestry Contest
Collaborations for Healthy Rangeland
This week Director Miller and staff from IDL attended "Collaborations for Healthy Rangeland," a conference hosted by the Idaho Rangeland Conservation Partnership. The event explored the effective use of bipartisan infrastructure funding, recreational impacts on rangeland, and sage grouse. Pictured below is IDL Director Dustin Miller with IRCP Coordinator Brenda Richards.
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