IDL Launches 2023 Legislative Priorities Webpage
The 2023 legislative session began on Monday, January 9. This week, publication of IDL's Legislative Update Newsletter resumed. The newsletter tracks IDL rules and legislation as well as proposed legislation that may affect the agency. If you currently do not receive this newsletter you can add your name to the distribution list here.
Also, IDL's Legislative Priorities webpage for 2023 is now live. This page provides detailed information about items IDL will present to the legislature on behalf of the Land Board.
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January Land Board Meeting Canceled
As a reminder, the January 17, 2023, meeting is cancelled. The next regular Board meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. Meetings will be held in the Boise City Council Chambers while the legislature is in session.
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Stakeholder Bill to Address Recreation Impact on Endowment Land
This week IDL received an update from the Idaho State ATV Association (ISATVA) that Sen. Mark Harris has agreed to sponsor the stakeholder bill designed to address recreational impacts on endowment land.
The legislation is similar to HB 468, a bill IDL introduced during the 2022 legislative session. Over the past year IDL collaborated with ISATVA and a broad group of stakeholders to develop this legislation.
Although the bill is not sponsored by IDL, after it is printed it will be tracked in the weekly Legislative Update newsletter.
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Buffalo Bill's Damar Hamlin's Cardiac Arrest a Reminder that AEDs Save Lives
At 24 years old no one expected Buffalo Bill's safety Damar Hamlin to suffer a cardiac arrest on the field during a Monday Night Football game.
Unfortunately, Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) happens far more often than we know. However, IDL is prepared.
Our agency maintains a combined statewide total of 56 automated external defibrillators, or AEDs. These life-saving, self-contained units are available at all IDL area, field and staff offices. Many of IDL's wildland fire engines are equipped with AEDs, too.
IDL has a policy requiring all employees to attend and successfully complete a basic CPR and AED training every two years. We want all IDL employees to be confident and empowered to use an AED if needed. A shock from an AED often is the only way to save someone in SCA. Every minute matters in the case of SCA so immediate recognition and action is necessary!
Safety Coordinators at every office are responsible for ensuring the AEDs remain in good working order and that local staff know where to find them.
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New IDL Policies
Over the past week IDL employees have received three emails covering two new IDL policies and one policy that was revised.
Department Policy 355, Emergency Response Policy, is new and includes preparing for and having a response plan in place before emergencies arise. This does not replace your office specific Emergency Response Plan, but is in addition to your local plan.
Department Policy 115, Department Filing System, is new and was created under the guidance of Pat Brown and a working group of Tom Fleer, Jay Sila, Dean Johnson, Meribeth Lomkin, and Heath Hancock, with additional help from more staff than can be listed here.
Department Policy 3, Use of Attorneys, is a revised policy, expanding upon the original policy implemented in 2011 by including details about requesting and tracking IDL's legal requests. The policy includes:
- Setting priorities regarding IDL's legal matters, see Section B. (p.3)
- Authority to contact attorneys, see Section C. (p.3)
- Legal Request Tracking, see Section D. (p.3)
All policy and procedure documents are located on IDL's intranet at https://teamwork.idl.idaho.gov/IDL/Pages/IDL_Policies.aspx.
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Director Miller Attended January Idaho Sportsmen Meeting
Last week Director Miller attended the Idaho Sportsmen meeting held at Idaho Department of Fish and Game's Boise headquarters. IDL regularly participates in these monthly meetings.
The agenda included discussions about recreational impacts on land traditionally used for hunting, fishing and trapping. Over the past year Idaho Sportsmen has worked with a diverse group of stakeholders to draft legislation designed to help address recreational impacts on endowment land.
Idaho Sportsmen aims to protect and advance access and opportunity to hunt, fish, trap, and recreate in Idaho through collaboration with other like-minded groups and government entities.
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Updated Recruitment Materials for Seasonal Fire Jobs
Recruitment materials for seasonal fire positions have been updated to include Dispatchers. This includes IDL's printable posters, recruitment video and the application form on the seasonal employment webpage.
If you need copies of the 11" x 17" recruitment poster but are unable to print them in your office, please email Laura Morrision in Human Resources.
IDL's printable recruitment posters can be customized for specific areas! Email customization requests to webmaster@idl.idaho.gov.
Watch and Share the Recruitment Video on YouTube
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IDL Improves Accessibility with Email Policy Training for Staff
Last week IDL held a microlearning training for staff covering Everything Employees Should Know About IDL's Email Signature Policy.
Microlearning is an approach to training that takes little time but reaches the goal of sharing important information with IDL team members. Sessions are organized by Human Resources and often feature subject matter experts from within the agency.
The training followed a November 2022 update to IDL's Public Information policy that ensured email signature blocks used by our team members comply with Section 508 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and are accessible to those of all abilities.
This change to the policy’s email signature template was made because the prior version of the template formatted signature blocks using tables. Adaptive technology like screen readers often cannot recognize text presented in tables. Also, not all email signature blocks used by employees after the 2021 policy update had logos that included Alt Text. Alt Text is crucial for ensuring accessibility because it enables screen readers to describe images included in electronic documents.
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Upcoming FY24 Western States Fire Managers and Landscape Scale Restoration Grant Program Webinar
IDL is offering a zoom webinar on January 19, 2023, to help prepare eligible entities for upcoming grant opportunities.
The webinar is in anticipation of the opening of the Western States Fire Managers (WSFM) and Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR) Request for Proposals (RFP).
The WSFM grant program aims to mitigate risk from wildland fire within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) through hazard fuel reduction, information and education, assessment and planning, and monitoring projects incorporating community and landowner actions.
Eligible entities include non-profits, local and state agencies, tribes and educational institutions.
The webinar is free and doesn't require a registration. Details and a zoom link can be found by visiting the IDL Transparency Events webpage.
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Employees Leaving IDL
- Elise Fahrer, Boise Staff Office
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In Case You Missed It
Here's a recap of other recent IDL newsletters you may find interesting:
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One Team One Voice Newsletter Archive
Did you miss some important news? Are you curious about knowing what's happening across IDL? Our One Team, One Voice webpage contains an archive of IDL's newsletters covering:
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