As the year 2025 kicked into gear this week, Idaho Governor Brad Little gave the governor’s State of the State report on last year’s successes and this year’s upcoming initiatives.  Similar to the State of the Union address which will be delivered by President Trump later in the year, the State of the State is primarily a chance for the executive in question to speak positively about their agenda, unveil a few new programs, and highlight the themes and topics which are expected to be important causes for the administration.

If there could be said to be topline themes for the speech, which was titled “Keeping Promises,” they could probably be said to include a direct association with the agenda so far laid out by President elect Trump, and a suggestion that Idaho as a state should serve as a model for federal legislative priorities and executive values.  In fact, the very first statement in the governor’s speech following his acknowledgement of the other officials in the chamber was “Just two months ago on the eve of a historic presidential election, America teetered between two very different futures for the next four years and beyond.  One future guaranteed the status quo—out of control federal spending, a lawless open border, sky high inflation, onerous regulations, and a depressed economy that traps families’ potential.  Americans rejected that failed path an instead re-elected a man with a very different vision for America—Donald Trump.  President Trump’s vision for America actually looks a lot like Idaho!...safe communities, bustling economic activity, increasing incomes, tax relief, fewer regulations, fiscal responsibility, and common-sense values.”

The opening of the speech was not abandoned as it went along; Little referred to his excitement to work with the incoming President on a shared vision throughout the remainder of the speech.  He also, though, invoked a spirit of reaching across the aisle.  “I want to congratulate all our legislators on their elections and recognize the new members of leadership in both parties.  As a former legislator and member of Senate leadership, I understand the challenges and rewards of bringing everyone together.  I commit to all  my legislative partners that we will work productively together this legislative session.”  The remark is perhaps a rejoinder to the criticism of the last legislative session, which was often seen as not having been especially productive.

In line with the “Keeping Promises” theme of the speech, Little reiterated the tax cuts that had been given to residents of the state over the past five years, much of them made possible by budgetary surpluses, the nature of which has been the subject of some back and forth between the parties.  “I am proposing yet another round of tax relief for hardworking Idaho families--$100 million—on top of the $4.6 billion we have already given back to Idahoans over the past five years,” Little stated, as well as “we stand ready to implement President Trump’s promised tax cuts.”  The exact nature of any federal tax cuts is not known at this point, as President-elect Trump will not be sworn in for two more weeks.  Tax cuts are certainly an anticipated legislative priority for the incoming Republican government, but again, there are no detailed specifics yet.

After discussing the importance of tax cuts, Little shifted to promoting his vision for education in the state.  “We promised and delivered unprecedented investments in schools, the American worker, water, roads, fire, outdoor recreation, and other infrastructure without raising taxes…My Keeping Promises plan builds on those investments by adding more support for schools—on top of the 80 percent increase in state funding we championed for education since I took office.”

Little then talked about what he termed “education freedom.”  “We lead the nation in expanding and supporting public charter schools,” Little said.  “Public charter schools are unquestionably popular in our state, serving about 30,000 student, up 30 percent from just five years ago. I support charter schools because they offer  families more options for their children’s education while providing taxpayers the accountability and transparency they deserve.  We are also one of the few states that enable parents to choose the best school for their children regardless of where they live, and our popular Empowering Parents program offers grants to support students’ education outside of the classroom.”

Among specific policy announcements that Little made were $50 million “to further expand education options for Idaho families…for students with unique physical or developmental conditions.”  School choice has been a hot button issue in Idaho’s legislature over the past several sessions, and Little was clear to add that “Just as we expect the following form our public schools, any school choice measure I would consider must be done the Idaho way, which means it is fair, responsible, transparent, and accountable.  It must prioritize the families that need it most and it must not take funds away from public schools.  We will do so while continuing to prioritize first and foremost our public schools.  Adequately funding public schools is both our constitutional and moral obligation, and we will not abandon that obligation.  We have significantly improved teacher pay and health benefits, increased funding for literacy, and began to address the longstanding facilities needs in schools across Idaho.”

Little then noted that even with the positive improvements he listed there are still “known gaps” in education funding.  Little stated that his Keeping Promises plan will commit $150 million to public schools, although no specifics were given about the destination of those funds.

Returning to his opening remarks, Little provided an example of what he termed “common sense values” in his support of the Boise State University women’s volleyball team, and recent controversies over the role of transgender athletes in women’s sports.  The line “I was incredibly proud of the Boise State University women’s volleyball team for standing up for what’s right” received what was probably the afternoon’s largest spontaneous and sustained applause from the assembled lawmakers.

Moving on to an issue that certainly affects this area, Little discussed “the long-term decline of water in the aquifer that sustains Idaho agriculture.”  Water and water rights issues are no stranger to southeast Idaho, and Little’s remarks sought to reassure farmers that the state was dedicated to maintaining its ability to regulate those rights within the state.  “Our farmers worked hard to secure a new water deal that safeguards Idaho’s water sovereignty.  Friends, let’s thank our farmers.  Along with our citizen legislators and Lt. Governor Scott Bedke, they crafted a new plan that maintains control of our water destiny, not other states, not the feds, and not the men and women in  robes.  My plan helps tackle the backlog of unfunded water projects because securing water for future generations and protecting Idaho agriculture requires both the new plan and continued investments that have proven to raise water levels in the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer—the lifeblood of Idaho agriculture.”

Little then discussed how his Keeping Promises plan would provide additional bonuses to allow the state to hire and retain wildland firefighters for the state’s always busy fire season.  Several firefighters in the audience were acknowledged by the governor to applause.  While there was no specific policy commitment from the governor’s office, Little stated that he was asking the Legislature to “properly fund the fire suppression account so these firefighters know we’ve got their back.”  He again returned to the explicit contrast between the Biden and Trump administrations on the topic: “Last summer, I called out the feds for not putting out wildfires more aggressively.  The State of Idaho leads on fire and forest management where the feds have failed.  Idahoans are tired of choking on smoke for weeks on end.  I look forward to working with the Trump administration to boldly transform how wildfire and out western lands are managed.”

Little announced plans to increase transportation funding to improve existing roads and the infrastructure around commercial transportation.

Deviating from his prepared remarks for a bit, Little had fun coining the term C.O.W.s, by which he meant to invoke those from California, Oregon, and Washington, who he noted were the primary source of the population boom happening across the state.  “We are victims of our own success,” Little said.  “Growth” does come with many opportunities, but it also comes with challenges.  The cost of owning a home is just too expensive for too many Idaho families.  You have heard me state my goal from day one—to make Idaho the place where our children and grandchildren choose to stay and for the ones who have left to choose to come home.  It’s difficult to achieve that goal when home ownership is so far out of reach.”  Little stated that he was looking forward to working with legislators to remove regulatory barriers and improve the permitting process in order to keep up with housing demands.  There were no specifics mentioned, but housing has been a key issue in the county in recent years as growth has accelerated.  The tension between the need for more housing in the area and the desire on the part of local officials to make sure development is in harmony with the public’s vision for the future has been at the heart of a number of development code and zoning map discussions.

Little championed his LAUNCH program, which promotes grants for training programs designed to provide immediately practical work skills for graduated Idaho high school students.  According to Little, “two-thirds of the students who went on to an Idaho school last year used a LAUNCH grant.  Community college attendance surged 15 percent…LAUNCH convinced those who would never have considered training after high school to go on.  Many of these students will support the industries that help us keep up with growth—jobs in construction, auto technicians, and plumbers, along with welders, electricians, and a host of other professions.”

Little once again linked himself to Trump in saying: “There is one major takeaway from the historic presidential election two months ago: the working people of America want someone fighting for them.  President Trump himself said, ‘We must embrace new and effective job-training approaches.’ Mr. President, we welcome the opportunity to work with you to structure innovative, effective workforce training programs like Idaho’s LAUNCH across the nation!”

Little noted that he, and by extension Idaho, was ready to work with Elon Musk as the director of the new “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, named after an early example of cryptocurrency.  According to Little, DOGE “is already looking to Idaho for the blueprint on how to cut red tape, stimulate economic growth, and streamline government.  As the least regulated state in the county, Idaho has an incredible story to share—one worth replicating elsewhere, including Washington D.C.”

As he approached the end of his speech, Little shifted from highlighting the lack of regulation in some areas of Idaho to praising regulatory efforts in the areas of drug policy and the internet.  Little pointedly called out the state of Oregon as “drug-friendly,” which he said sends a welcome message to “nefarious criminals” unlike Idaho.  Little noted that over the last several years, violent crime in Idaho was down by 17 percent, and the state has been listed as one of the top ten safest in some metrics.  

Little praised the efforts of the Idaho State Police, who “just wrapped up their fourth mission to the border.  They intercepted deadly drugs and apprehended criminals coming across the open border under the Biden administration,  No other state has completed more missions to border states than Idaho.”

Little announced a new prosecutor for Northern Idaho who would be exclusively in charge of drug prosecutions.  

Little ended his speech by saying: “As we prepare to celebrate the 250th birthday of our great country, we reflect on what it means to be an American.  Our past and future are rooted in freedom and self-reliance while taking care of each other and with a constant faith in God.  To the people of Idaho, as your elected leaders, we promise to continue governing responsibly and to uphold freedom and common sense in our decisions.”