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H0056aaS............................................by AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT - Adds to existing law to provide for the Idaho Rural Development Partnership Act; to provide for responsibilities of the partnership; to provide for a board of directors and general membership; to provide for cochairs and an executive director; and to provide for the consideration of certain comments when conducting performance evaluations of state employees. 01/25 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing 01/26 Rpt prt - to Agric Aff 02/13 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg 02/14 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg 02/16 3rd rdg - PASSED - 68-0-2 AYES -- Anderson, Andrus, Barrett, Bayer, Bedke, Bell, Bilbao, Black, Bock, Boe, Bolz, Brackett, Bradford, Chadderdon, Chavez, Chew, Clark, Collins, Crane, Durst, Eskridge, Hagedorn, Hart, Harwood, Henbest, Henderson, Jaquet, Killen, King, Kren, Labrador, Lake, LeFavour, Loertscher, Luker, Marriott, Mathews, McGeachin, Mortimer, Moyle, Nielsen, Nonini, Pasley-Stuart, Patrick, Pence, Raybould, Ring, Ringo, Roberts, Ruchti, Rusche, Sayler, Schaefer, Shepherd(2), Shepherd(8), Shirley, Shively, Smith(30), Smith(24), Snodgrass, Stevenson, Thayn, Trail, Vander Woude, Wills, Wood(27), Wood(35), Mr. Speaker NAYS -- None Absent and excused -- Block, Edmunson Floor Sponsor - Bolz Title apvd - to Senate 02/19 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to Agric Aff 02/28 Rpt out - to 14th Ord 03/13 Rpt out amen - to 1st rdg as amen 03/14 1st rdg - to 2nd rdg as amen 03/15 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg as amen Rls susp - PASSED - 34-0-1 AYES -- Andreason, Bair, Bilyeu, Broadsword, Burkett, Cameron, Coiner, Corder, Darrington, Davis, Fulcher, Gannon, Geddes, Goedde, Hammond, Heinrich, Hill, Jorgenson, Kelly, Keough, Langhorst, Little, Lodge, Malepeai, McGee, McKague, McKenzie, Pearce, Richardson, Schroeder, Siddoway, Stegner, Stennett, Werk NAYS -- None Absent and excused -- Bastian Floor Sponsor - Gannon Title apvd - to House 03/15 House concurred in Senate amens - to engros 03/16 Rpt engros - 1st rdg - to 2nd rdg as amen 03/19 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg as amen 03/20 3rd rdg as amen - PASSED - 66-0-4 AYES -- Anderson, Andrus, Barrett, Bayer, Bedke, Bell, Bilbao, Black, Block, Bock, Bolz, Brackett, Bradford, Chadderdon, Chew, Clark, Collins, Crane, Durst, Edmunson, Eskridge, Hagedorn, Hart, Harwood, Henbest, Henderson, Jaquet, Killen, King, Kren, Labrador, Lake, Loertscher, Luker, Marriott, Mathews, McGeachin, Mortimer, Moyle, Nielsen, Nonini, Pasley-Stuart, Patrick, Pence, Raybould, Ring, Ringo, Roberts, Ruchti, Rusche, Sayler, Schaefer, Shepherd(2), Shepherd(8), Shirley, Shively, Smith(30), Smith(24), Snodgrass, Stevenson, Thayn, Trail, Vander Woude, Wills, Wood(27), Wood(35) NAYS -- None Absent and excused -- Boe, Chavez, LeFavour, Mr. Speaker Floor Sponsor - Bolz Title apvd - to enrol 03/21 Rpt enrol - Sp signed 03/22 Pres signed - To Governor 03/28 Governor signed Session Law Chapter 238 Effective: 07/01/07
]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]] Fifty-ninth Legislature First Regular Session - 2007IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE BILL NO. 56 BY AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE 1 AN ACT 2 RELATING TO THE IDAHO RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT; AMENDING TITLE 67, 3 IDAHO CODE, BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW CHAPTER 90, TITLE 67, IDAHO CODE, TO 4 PROVIDE A SHORT TITLE, TO PROVIDE LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS, TO DEFINE TERMS, 5 TO PROVIDE FOR THE IDAHO RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP, TO PROVIDE FOR 6 RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PARTNERSHIP, TO PROVIDE FOR THE BOARD OF DIREC- 7 TORS, TO PROVIDE FOR COCHAIRS, TO PROVIDE FOR AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TO 8 PROVIDE FOR GENERAL MEMBERSHIP, TO PROVIDE FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF CER- 9 TAIN COMMENTS WHEN CONDUCTING PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS OF STATE EMPLOYEES 10 AND TO PROVIDE FOR INVESTIGATIVE AUTHORITY. 11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho: 12 SECTION 1. That Title 67, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby amended 13 by the addition thereto of a NEW CHAPTER, to be known and designated as Chap- 14 ter 90, Title 67, Idaho Code, and to read as follows: 15 CHAPTER 90 16 IDAHO RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT 17 67-9001. SHORT TITLE. This act may be referred to and cited as the "Idaho 18 Rural Development Partnership Act." 19 67-9002. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS. The legislature finds that: 20 (1) Rural development has been given a high priority as a means of 21 achieving a sound and mutually beneficial balance between the economies, cul- 22 ture, infrastructure and community vitality of rural and urban areas of Idaho. 23 (2) (a) During the last half century, the legislature has enacted many 24 laws and established many programs to provide resources to rural communi- 25 ties; 26 (b) Efforts have been made, and continue to be needed, to coordinate 27 rural development programs; and 28 (c) During the last decade, the national rural development partnership 29 and its principal components, the national rural development council and 30 state rural development councils, have successfully provided opportunities 31 for collaboration and coordination among federal agencies and between fed- 32 eral agencies and states, nonprofit organizations, the private sector, 33 tribal governments, and other entities committed to rural advancement. 34 (3) State rural development councils were established in 1990 by Presi- 35 dential executive order as vehicles to help coordinate rural programs. 36 (4) The congress of the United States authorized and codified a national 37 system of rural development coordination and cooperation with enactment of the 38 "national rural development partnership act" (7 U.S.C. 2008m). 39 (5) The national rural development partnership has been recognized as a 40 model of new governance and as an example of the effectiveness of collabora- 41 tion between the federal, state, local, tribal, private, and nonprofit sectors 2 1 in addressing the needs of the rural communities. 2 (6) Partnerships between governmental and nongovernmental entities can 3 extend scarce funding through collaboration and cooperation. 4 (7) The continued success and efficacy of the Idaho rural development 5 partnership could be enhanced through specific legislative authorization 6 removing any statutory barriers that could detract from the benefits poten- 7 tially achieved through the partnership's unique structure. 8 67-9003. DEFINITIONS. As used in this chapter: 9 (1) "Agency with rural responsibilities" means any public entity of the 10 state of Idaho that: 11 (a) Implements a provision of law targeted at rural areas; or 12 (b) Administers a program that has a significant impact on rural areas. 13 (2) "National rural development partnership" means the organization cre- 14 ated by the national rural development partnership act (7 U.S.C. 2008m). 15 (3) "Partnership" means the Idaho rural development partnership estab- 16 lished by section 67-9004, Idaho Code. 17 (4) "Rural area" means: 18 (a) All the territory of the state of Idaho that is not within the bound- 19 ary of any standard metropolitan statistical area as defined by the United 20 States office of management and budget; 21 (b) All territory within any standard metropolitan statistical area 22 described in subsection (4)(a) of this section within a census tract hav- 23 ing a population density of less than twenty (20) persons per square mile, 24 as determined according to the most recent census of the United States as 25 of any date; and 26 (c) Such areas as the partnership may identify as rural. 27 67-9004. IDAHO RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP CREATED. There is hereby 28 created an independent public body corporate and politic to be known as the 29 "Idaho rural development partnership," which shall be a public instrumentality 30 of the state and its exercise of the powers conferred by this chapter is and 31 shall be deemed to be the performance of essential public functions and pur- 32 poses. The Idaho rural development partnership shall be exempt from taxation, 33 and shall be an entity of the state of Idaho as provided in the tort claims 34 act, chapter 9, title 6, Idaho Code, and shall be entitled to all the protec- 35 tion as provided in the tort claims act, chapter 9, title 6, Idaho Code. 36 67-9005. RESPONSIBILITIES. The partnership's responsibilities shall be 37 to: 38 (1) Assess conditions of rural Idaho; 39 (2) Advise the governor and the legislature on public policy and strate- 40 gies to improve the quality of life in rural Idaho; 41 (3) Act as a clearinghouse of information and as a referral center on 42 rural programs and policies; 43 (4) Conduct outreach to rural communities and facilitate communication 44 between rural residents and public and private organizations that provide ser- 45 vices to rural communities; 46 (5) Identify organizations, authorities and resources to address various 47 aspects of rural development; 48 (6) Serve as a nonpartisan forum for identifying and understanding rural 49 issues from all perspectives; 50 (7) Improve intergovernmental coordination, private and public coopera- 51 tion, and to seek out opportunities for new partnerships to achieve rural 52 development goals within existing governmental and community structures; 3 1 (8) Foster coordinated approaches to rural development that support local 2 initiatives, with an imperative not to usurp the individual missions of any 3 member organizations or duplicate effort; 4 (9) Seek solutions to unnecessary impediments to rural development, first 5 within Idaho and then through the national rural development partnership; and 6 (10) Work cooperatively with the national rural development partnership 7 and other state rural development councils. 8 67-9006. BOARD OF DIRECTORS. (1) The partnership shall be managed by a 9 board of directors that shall include the following members: 10 (a) A representative from the executive office of the governor; 11 (b) The directors from not more than five (5) agencies with rural respon- 12 sibilities, these being, unless otherwise seated by the balance of the 13 board of directors, the Idaho departments of agriculture, commerce, envi- 14 ronmental quality, labor, and transportation; 15 (c) The director of the cooperative extension service in the state of 16 Idaho; 17 (d) Representatives from the following federal agencies: the United 18 States department of agriculture's rural development, farm service agency 19 and forest service, the United States department of the interior's bureau 20 of land management, the United States department of commerce's economic 21 development administration, the United States environmental protection 22 agency, and the United States department of housing and urban development; 23 (e) Four (4) state legislators consisting of two (2) senators and two (2) 24 representatives selected by their respective legislative leaders; 25 (f) A representative chosen by each of the federally recognized Indian 26 tribes in the state of Idaho; 27 (g) Four (4) representatives from organizations of local government in 28 the state of Idaho, one (1) each representing cities, counties, economic 29 development agencies, and resource conservation and development organiza- 30 tions; 31 (h) Two (2) representatives from for-profit business organizations, to 32 include agribusiness and other businesses operating with special emphasis 33 on rural areas of the state of Idaho; 34 (i) A representative of the principal contractor for the United States 35 department of energy's Idaho national laboratory; and 36 (j) Five (5) rural leaders chosen by the governor representing private 37 entrepreneurs, chambers of commerce, nonprofit and community-based organi- 38 zations, living in rural Idaho and representing a geographic balance 39 across the state. 40 (2) Nonvoting, ad hoc members may be included on the board to assist with 41 specific issues and projects as necessary. 42 (3) Except for appointments by the governor under subsection (1)(j) of 43 this section, members of the board of directors shall serve at the pleasure of 44 the organization or entity the member represents. Board members appointed 45 under subsection (1)(h) of this section shall serve four (4) year terms con- 46 current with the governor's term, though lagging behind by three (3) months 47 the governor's term. 48 67-9007. COCHAIRS. (1) The board of directors of the partnership shall 49 have two (2) cochairs, one (1) elected by the partnership's board of directors 50 from among the board's membership, and the other appointed by the governor 51 from among the state agency directors appointed pursuant to subsection (1)(b) 52 of section 67-9006, Idaho Code. The cochair elected by the board of directors 53 shall serve a two (2) year term, and may be reelected until a total of four 4 1 (4) consecutive years have been served, following which that individual will 2 be disqualified for election to the position of cochair until at least one (1) 3 term of office has intervened. 4 (2) The duties of the cochairs shall be to: 5 (a) Set operating policies; and 6 (b) Manage the partnership budget and staff, including the hiring of an 7 executive director. 8 67-9008. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. The executive director of the partnership 9 shall: 10 (1) Be an exempt, full-time position within a department of the executive 11 branch of Idaho state government as designated by the governor; 12 (2) Manage the day-to-day operations of the partnership as directed by 13 the board of directors and the cochairs; 14 (3) Be a person with the skills necessary to manage a diverse public 15 organization effectively and with broad experience in building and sustaining 16 networks and partnerships; and shall be hired through an open and competitive 17 process when a vacancy occurs, after a broad, statewide advertising campaign 18 without any preselection; 19 (4) Hire an assistant, and such temporary or part-time employees as may 20 be necessary to achieve the partnership's purposes, provided approved by the 21 cochairs of the board of directors and the availability of funding. 22 67-9009. GENERAL MEMBERSHIP. The general membership of the partnership 23 shall be open to any and all individuals or organizations desiring to assist 24 with the partnership's purposes, including all local, tribal, state, and fed- 25 eral governments, as well as for-profit and not-for-profit private organiza- 26 tions having an interest in or some responsibility for rural development in 27 the state of Idaho. No voting privileges on the partnership's board of direc- 28 tors are granted by virtue of general membership. 29 67-9010. PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS OF STATE EMPLOYEES. In conducting the 30 performance evaluation of an employee of an agency with rural responsibili- 31 ties, that agency shall consider any comments submitted by the partnership 32 concerning the responsiveness and cooperation of that employee in attempting 33 to achieve the partnership's purposes. 34 67-9011. INVESTIGATIVE AUTHORITY. By unanimous vote of the board of 35 directors, the partnership may exercise the power to summon an official of 36 federal, state or local government or to take the testimony under oath of such 37 individual if deemed necessary to obtain information in furtherance of the 38 purposes of the partnership.
]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]] Fifty-ninth Legislature First Regular Session - 2007Moved by Kelly Seconded by Gannon IN THE SENATE SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.B. NO. 56 1 AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 1 2 On page 3 of the printed bill, delete lines 23 and 24, and insert: 3 "(e) Four (4) state legislators consisting of one (1) member appointed by 4 the president pro tempore of the senate, one (1) member appointed by the 5 minority leader of the senate, one (1) member appointed by the speaker of 6 the house of representatives and one (1) member appointed by the minority 7 leader of the house of representatives;"; 8 in line 45, delete "(h)" and insert: "(j)"; and following line 47, insert: 9 "(4) The duties of the board of directors shall be to: 10 (a) Elect a cochair as provided in section 67-9007, Idaho Code; 11 (b) To appoint and employ, and at its pleasure discharge, an executive 12 director and to prescribe the duties and fix the compensation of the exec- 13 utive director; and 14 (c) To establish offices, to incur expenses, to enter into contracts and 15 to create such liabilities as may be reasonable for the proper administra- 16 tion and enforcement of this chapter. 17 (5) The board of directors shall hold a meeting at least annually. A 18 majority of the members of the board of directors shall constitute a quorum.". 19 On page 4, delete lines 30 through 38 and insert: "performance evaluation 20 of an employee of an agency who has worked with the partnership, that agency 21 may consider any comments submitted by the partnership in support of the 22 employee.". 23 CORRECTION TO TITLE 24 On page 1, delete lines 8 through 10, and insert: "PROVIDE FOR GENERAL 25 MEMBERSHIP AND TO PROVIDE FOR CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN COMMENTS WHEN CONDUCT- 26 ING PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS OF STATE EMPLOYEES.".
]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]] Fifty-ninth Legislature First Regular Session - 2007IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE BILL NO. 56, As Amended in the Senate BY AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE 1 AN ACT 2 RELATING TO THE IDAHO RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT; AMENDING TITLE 67, 3 IDAHO CODE, BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW CHAPTER 90, TITLE 67, IDAHO CODE, TO 4 PROVIDE A SHORT TITLE, TO PROVIDE LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS, TO DEFINE TERMS, 5 TO PROVIDE FOR THE IDAHO RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP, TO PROVIDE FOR 6 RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PARTNERSHIP, TO PROVIDE FOR THE BOARD OF DIREC- 7 TORS, TO PROVIDE FOR COCHAIRS, TO PROVIDE FOR AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TO 8 PROVIDE FOR GENERAL MEMBERSHIP AND TO PROVIDE FOR CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN 9 COMMENTS WHEN CONDUCTING PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS OF STATE EMPLOYEES. 10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho: 11 SECTION 1. That Title 67, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby amended 12 by the addition thereto of a NEW CHAPTER, to be known and designated as Chap- 13 ter 90, Title 67, Idaho Code, and to read as follows: 14 CHAPTER 90 15 IDAHO RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT 16 67-9001. SHORT TITLE. This act may be referred to and cited as the "Idaho 17 Rural Development Partnership Act." 18 67-9002. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS. The legislature finds that: 19 (1) Rural development has been given a high priority as a means of 20 achieving a sound and mutually beneficial balance between the economies, cul- 21 ture, infrastructure and community vitality of rural and urban areas of Idaho. 22 (2) (a) During the last half century, the legislature has enacted many 23 laws and established many programs to provide resources to rural communi- 24 ties; 25 (b) Efforts have been made, and continue to be needed, to coordinate 26 rural development programs; and 27 (c) During the last decade, the national rural development partnership 28 and its principal components, the national rural development council and 29 state rural development councils, have successfully provided opportunities 30 for collaboration and coordination among federal agencies and between fed- 31 eral agencies and states, nonprofit organizations, the private sector, 32 tribal governments, and other entities committed to rural advancement. 33 (3) State rural development councils were established in 1990 by Presi- 34 dential executive order as vehicles to help coordinate rural programs. 35 (4) The congress of the United States authorized and codified a national 36 system of rural development coordination and cooperation with enactment of the 37 "national rural development partnership act" (7 U.S.C. 2008m). 38 (5) The national rural development partnership has been recognized as a 39 model of new governance and as an example of the effectiveness of collabora- 40 tion between the federal, state, local, tribal, private, and nonprofit sectors 41 in addressing the needs of the rural communities. 2 1 (6) Partnerships between governmental and nongovernmental entities can 2 extend scarce funding through collaboration and cooperation. 3 (7) The continued success and efficacy of the Idaho rural development 4 partnership could be enhanced through specific legislative authorization 5 removing any statutory barriers that could detract from the benefits poten- 6 tially achieved through the partnership's unique structure. 7 67-9003. DEFINITIONS. As used in this chapter: 8 (1) "Agency with rural responsibilities" means any public entity of the 9 state of Idaho that: 10 (a) Implements a provision of law targeted at rural areas; or 11 (b) Administers a program that has a significant impact on rural areas. 12 (2) "National rural development partnership" means the organization cre- 13 ated by the national rural development partnership act (7 U.S.C. 2008m). 14 (3) "Partnership" means the Idaho rural development partnership estab- 15 lished by section 67-9004, Idaho Code. 16 (4) "Rural area" means: 17 (a) All the territory of the state of Idaho that is not within the bound- 18 ary of any standard metropolitan statistical area as defined by the United 19 States office of management and budget; 20 (b) All territory within any standard metropolitan statistical area 21 described in subsection (4)(a) of this section within a census tract hav- 22 ing a population density of less than twenty (20) persons per square mile, 23 as determined according to the most recent census of the United States as 24 of any date; and 25 (c) Such areas as the partnership may identify as rural. 26 67-9004. IDAHO RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP CREATED. There is hereby 27 created an independent public body corporate and politic to be known as the 28 "Idaho rural development partnership," which shall be a public instrumentality 29 of the state and its exercise of the powers conferred by this chapter is and 30 shall be deemed to be the performance of essential public functions and pur- 31 poses. The Idaho rural development partnership shall be exempt from taxation, 32 and shall be an entity of the state of Idaho as provided in the tort claims 33 act, chapter 9, title 6, Idaho Code, and shall be entitled to all the protec- 34 tion as provided in the tort claims act, chapter 9, title 6, Idaho Code. 35 67-9005. RESPONSIBILITIES. The partnership's responsibilities shall be 36 to: 37 (1) Assess conditions of rural Idaho; 38 (2) Advise the governor and the legislature on public policy and strate- 39 gies to improve the quality of life in rural Idaho; 40 (3) Act as a clearinghouse of information and as a referral center on 41 rural programs and policies; 42 (4) Conduct outreach to rural communities and facilitate communication 43 between rural residents and public and private organizations that provide ser- 44 vices to rural communities; 45 (5) Identify organizations, authorities and resources to address various 46 aspects of rural development; 47 (6) Serve as a nonpartisan forum for identifying and understanding rural 48 issues from all perspectives; 49 (7) Improve intergovernmental coordination, private and public coopera- 50 tion, and to seek out opportunities for new partnerships to achieve rural 51 development goals within existing governmental and community structures; 52 (8) Foster coordinated approaches to rural development that support local 3 1 initiatives, with an imperative not to usurp the individual missions of any 2 member organizations or duplicate effort; 3 (9) Seek solutions to unnecessary impediments to rural development, first 4 within Idaho and then through the national rural development partnership; and 5 (10) Work cooperatively with the national rural development partnership 6 and other state rural development councils. 7 67-9006. BOARD OF DIRECTORS. (1) The partnership shall be managed by a 8 board of directors that shall include the following members: 9 (a) A representative from the executive office of the governor; 10 (b) The directors from not more than five (5) agencies with rural respon- 11 sibilities, these being, unless otherwise seated by the balance of the 12 board of directors, the Idaho departments of agriculture, commerce, envi- 13 ronmental quality, labor, and transportation; 14 (c) The director of the cooperative extension service in the state of 15 Idaho; 16 (d) Representatives from the following federal agencies: the United 17 States department of agriculture's rural development, farm service agency 18 and forest service, the United States department of the interior's bureau 19 of land management, the United States department of commerce's economic 20 development administration, the United States environmental protection 21 agency, and the United States department of housing and urban development; 22 (e) Four (4) state legislators consisting of one (1) member appointed by 23 the president pro tempore of the senate, one (1) member appointed by the 24 minority leader of the senate, one (1) member appointed by the speaker of 25 the house of representatives and one (1) member appointed by the minority 26 leader of the house of representatives; 27 (f) A representative chosen by each of the federally recognized Indian 28 tribes in the state of Idaho; 29 (g) Four (4) representatives from organizations of local government in 30 the state of Idaho, one (1) each representing cities, counties, economic 31 development agencies, and resource conservation and development organiza- 32 tions; 33 (h) Two (2) representatives from for-profit business organizations, to 34 include agribusiness and other businesses operating with special emphasis 35 on rural areas of the state of Idaho; 36 (i) A representative of the principal contractor for the United States 37 department of energy's Idaho national laboratory; and 38 (j) Five (5) rural leaders chosen by the governor representing private 39 entrepreneurs, chambers of commerce, nonprofit and community-based organi- 40 zations, living in rural Idaho and representing a geographic balance 41 across the state. 42 (2) Nonvoting, ad hoc members may be included on the board to assist with 43 specific issues and projects as necessary. 44 (3) Except for appointments by the governor under subsection (1)(j) of 45 this section, members of the board of directors shall serve at the pleasure of 46 the organization or entity the member represents. Board members appointed 47 under subsection (1)(j) of this section shall serve four (4) year terms con- 48 current with the governor's term, though lagging behind by three (3) months 49 the governor's term. 50 (4) The duties of the board of directors shall be to: 51 (a) Elect a cochair as provided in section 67-9007, Idaho Code; 52 (b) To appoint and employ, and at its pleasure discharge, an executive 53 director and to prescribe the duties and fix the compensation of the exec- 54 utive director; and 4 1 (c) To establish offices, to incur expenses, to enter into contracts and 2 to create such liabilities as may be reasonable for the proper administra- 3 tion and enforcement of this chapter. 4 (5) The board of directors shall hold a meeting at least annually. A 5 majority of the members of the board of directors shall constitute a quorum. 6 67-9007. COCHAIRS. (1) The board of directors of the partnership shall 7 have two (2) cochairs, one (1) elected by the partnership's board of directors 8 from among the board's membership, and the other appointed by the governor 9 from among the state agency directors appointed pursuant to subsection (1)(b) 10 of section 67-9006, Idaho Code. The cochair elected by the board of directors 11 shall serve a two (2) year term, and may be reelected until a total of four 12 (4) consecutive years have been served, following which that individual will 13 be disqualified for election to the position of cochair until at least one (1) 14 term of office has intervened. 15 (2) The duties of the cochairs shall be to: 16 (a) Set operating policies; and 17 (b) Manage the partnership budget and staff, including the hiring of an 18 executive director. 19 67-9008. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. The executive director of the partnership 20 shall: 21 (1) Be an exempt, full-time position within a department of the executive 22 branch of Idaho state government as designated by the governor; 23 (2) Manage the day-to-day operations of the partnership as directed by 24 the board of directors and the cochairs; 25 (3) Be a person with the skills necessary to manage a diverse public 26 organization effectively and with broad experience in building and sustaining 27 networks and partnerships; and shall be hired through an open and competitive 28 process when a vacancy occurs, after a broad, statewide advertising campaign 29 without any preselection; 30 (4) Hire an assistant, and such temporary or part-time employees as may 31 be necessary to achieve the partnership's purposes, provided approved by the 32 cochairs of the board of directors and the availability of funding. 33 67-9009. GENERAL MEMBERSHIP. The general membership of the partnership 34 shall be open to any and all individuals or organizations desiring to assist 35 with the partnership's purposes, including all local, tribal, state, and fed- 36 eral governments, as well as for-profit and not-for-profit private organiza- 37 tions having an interest in or some responsibility for rural development in 38 the state of Idaho. No voting privileges on the partnership's board of direc- 39 tors are granted by virtue of general membership. 40 67-9010. PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS OF STATE EMPLOYEES. In conducting the 41 performance evaluation of an employee of an agency who has worked with the 42 partnership, that agency may consider any comments submitted by the partner- 43 ship in support of the employee.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE RS 16636 This bill enacts the "Idaho Rural Partnership Act" to codify the provisions of existing Executive Order No. 2003-01. The Partnership is assigned specific purposes, primary among which are (1) acting as a clearinghouse of rural development resources and information, and (2) facilitating rural collaborations between agencies and the private sector, and (3) removing regulatory and bureaucratic obstacles to rural economic growth. A Board of Directors, Co-Chairs and an Executive Director are authorized to carry out these purposes. FISCAL NOTE It is anticipated that salaries for the Executive Director and a minimal support staff will require $130,000. The total amount of the Partnership budget has averaged closer to $300,000, but that amount is offset by donations routinely received from federal, non-profit and for-profit private sector contributors. Contact Name: Rep. Bolz, Rep. Trail, Rep. Pence Phone: 332-1000 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE H 56