Governor Little had key moments of his State of the State address from when he addressed taxes, education and the economy. Idaho currently has a projected surplus of 1.6 billion dollars, an all time high for the State of Idaho.
The Governor announced last week before the State of the State address that he was going to give the address in person in the House chambers. The 2021 State of the State address was not able to be given in person due to COVID-19.
Starting out, the State of the State Governor Little addressed the economy and the surplus saying he wants to continue to operate under a fiscal budget and not spend more than the state brings in per year. Governor Little said “While DC is digging the country into a $29 trillion hole, Idaho has a record surplus of $1.9 billion and counting.”
The Governor also wants to continue cutting taxes for the citizens of Idaho. According to the Governor’s office they were able to cut taxes for residents of Idaho and businesses by 450 million dollars. The Governor in the address said it was the biggest tax cuts in the state’s history but he calls it a good starting place.
Education was another area Governor Little addressed going back to his orginal campaign. In the area of education Little wants to improve reading levels in the younger children, increase teachers salary and benefits as well as creating a grant to keep parents involved in their children’s education.
In order to start this grant program Governor Little is investing more than 1.1 billion dollars to introduce the grant programing. This grant funding would be spread out over the next five years. “I’m proposing $50 million for the new Empowering Parents Grants. The grants will cover such things as computers and internet connectivity among other needs so students have the best chance of success. The Empowering Parents Grants puts parents in control of their child’s education.” Governor Little said.
Finally Governor Little addressed the drug problems in the State of Idaho. In the coming weeks the Governor will be forming a task force called Operation Esto Perpetua. This task force will bring together families and law enforcement in new ways according to the Governor. Little went on to say “We will continue to fight the consequences of our loose border and curb the smuggling of killer drugs such as fentanyl into our state from Mexico.”
Governor Little ended his speech thanking the citizens in Idaho for allowing him to lead the state.
Governor Little has not officially announced he will be running for Governor yet but his campaign has raised more money than any other candidate in the state that is running for Governor in the state. Primaries for the state’s Governor’s race are being held on May 19th.
