Legislative Update: Hazard Pay Bill Signed by Governor
Yesterday Governor Little signed HB588, our wildland firefighter hazard pay legislation, into law. The new law is effective immediately!
Governor Little signed the bill at 11 am MT in a private ceremony in his office, attended by a few IDL staff, Land Board members and industry partners. Following the ceremony, we distributed a news release. Next week on Thursday, March 31, we are tentatively planning a more formal wildfire related event with the Governor, local legislators, and the media in Coeur d’Alene.
Getting this legislation passed represents a huge accomplishment for IDL. We set a lofty goal, told our story, did the ground work and as a result, received an overwhelming amount of support. With their actions the Land Board, policy makers, industry groups and the public have demonstrated their solid backing of our wildland firefighters. We did it together and HB 588 is now law because of this team effort!
The future looks bright for IDL, and there is a lot more we look to accomplish together in the future. The director is proud of each of you, your good work, service to the public, and belief in our shared mission.
IDL Budget Update
Our budget bill, House Bill 755 passed the House on March 14 with a vote of 49-19-2. and on March 17 the Senate passed the appropriation with overwhelming support with a vote of 32-1-2.
This bill was delivered to the Governor on the morning of March 23 and awaits his signature.
Fire Cache Truck Advertises Fire Prevention
This big rig rolled up to the Coeur d'Alene Interagency Fire Cache on Tuesday, ready to spread the message of wildfire prevention. Federal grant dollars paid for the wrap, providing IDL a creative way to share prevention messages with a rolling billboard.
The back of the truck promotes Idaho's burn permit requirements and provides a QR code and web link to access the burn permits application.
A semi-trailer will receive a similar wrap treatment next month.
Based on grant fund availability, other trucks or trailers may be wrapped in the future.
  
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
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.
In Case You Missed It
Here's a recap of other recent IDL newsletters you may find interesting:
One Team One Voice Webpage
With multiple communication channels at our disposal – our website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, newsletters and individual conversations – sharing stories broadly has never been easier. However, given this abundance of communication channels, it’s crucial for our team speak with one voice. Otherwise, important messages we’re trying to communicate can be lost.
The One Team, One Voice webpage features the following resources:
|
