Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Clerk be authorized to make technical corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 8998, to include corrections in spelling, punctuation, section numbering and cross-referencing, and the insertion of appropriate headings.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 8998 and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Chair, I am pleased to begin consideration of H.R. 8998, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025.

First, I commend Chairman Cole for his leadership of the Appropriations Committee and for his continued support of the Department of the Interior bill. I also thank Ranking Member Pingree for her partnership as well as Ranking Member DeLauro of the full committee and the subcommittee Members for their work on this bill.

H.R. 8998 provides $38.4 billion in new non-defense discretionary spending, which is $72 million below the fiscal year 2024 level and $4.4 billion below the President's budget request. The bill also rescinds $55 million provided to the Presidio Trust through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Cutting funding is never easy, but with the national debt of nearly $35 trillion and inflation at an unacceptable level, we had to make tough choices in this bill to rein in unnecessary discretionary spending.

This legislation prioritizes critical needs and addresses specific interests and concerns brought to our attention through more than 8,800 Member requests.

H.R. 8998 fully funds the payment in lieu of taxes program, estimated at $600 million, which includes over $330 million to permanently address Federal wildland firefighter pay and capacity. The permanent pay fix included in this bill would improve firefighter recruitment and retention and provide financial certainty to the men and women protecting our communities from catastrophic wildfires.

I will say that, last Wednesday, I was up at what is called the Bench fire in Idaho. I talked to the firefighters and the fire incident commanders up there and spent a day with them. I can tell you they do tremendous work at great risk to themselves. This is something that has to be done.

It also signals our commitment to upholding the Federal Government's trust and treaty responsibilities, providing $2.81 billion for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a 14.5 percent increase,

and $1.7 billion for the Bureau of Indian Education, a 7.5 percent increase. This includes robust funding for the law enforcement programs, including an additional $13.5 million for the missing and murdered indigenous women initiative.

The bill also provides over $8.5 billion for the Indian Health Service, fully funds current services for key healthcare programs, and covers the estimated increased contract support costs resulting from the recent Supreme Court decision.

To address these priorities while right-sizing the agencies under our jurisdiction, the bill reduces funding for most other accounts in the bill. For example, the EPA is cut by 20 percent below the enacted level, with reductions targeted at operating programs and regulatory activities. The bill still includes community funding projects for clean drinking water infrastructure projects in 285 Members' districts.

The requested amount greatly exceeded the funds available for projects, but we did our best to provide some funding for all eligible projects, given the impact these dollars will have on communities across the country.

In terms of policy, the bill takes critical steps to reduce regulatory burdens imposed by the EPA and promote domestic energy production. Such efforts include halting heavy-handed, job-killing EPA regulations, limiting the abuse of the Endangered Species Act and ensuring continued access to our public lands, expanding access to hard-rock and critical minerals, and requiring oil and gas lease sales and limiting fees on producers. These policies will help boost our national security, reduce energy costs, and create American jobs.

Madam Chair, this bill permanently fixes wildland firefighter pay, helps manage our public lands wisely, upholds our commitments to Indian Country, and restores the fiscal responsibility necessary to get our country back on track.

Madam Chair, I urge its adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Duarte).

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I just have to respond a little bit. Cutting spending is never easy, and I did not hear from any of the people who spoke on the other side of the aisle that we have a $35 trillion deficit. That is what is endangering this country.

If we could just spend more money, I would love to address some of the problems that they say exist. They do exist. You have to make choices, and that is what we have done here. We have made choices to make sure that we fully fund PILT payments, to make sure that we fully fund our treaty responsibilities with our Native Americans, and that we take care of the wildfire pay issue that had to be done. Those are boosts in this bill. That means cuts had to come someplace else.

If you want to go find me another $20 billion to spend, we can do a lot of things. One thing we can't do by spending $20 billion more is address the $35 trillion debt that exists in this country today.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, pursuant to House Resolution 1370, I offer amendments en bloc.

Madam Chair, this bipartisan en bloc was developed in coordination with our colleagues across the aisle. It contains noncontroversial amendments addressing important issues in this bill that have been agreed to by both sides.

For example, the amendments en bloc highlight the importance of the Rural Water Technical Assistance grants as well as the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds.

It emphasizes the support for Indian Health Services and national heritage areas and support for research to harmful algal blooms and provides assistance to the Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Madam Chair, I support its adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I have no more speakers on this, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I don't have any further speakers if the gentlewoman is ready to yield back.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Madam Chair, I see that we are going to have several Holman rules coming up.

When the Holman rule was originally put in place years ago, it was meant to identify people who had committed crimes and we have had some of those that have been fired. It wasn't meant to identify people who had policy differences.

Those are what elections are about. Anybody who suggested that on this side of the aisle we were going to elect the Biden administration, Biden-Harris administration, that the policies that they enacted were going to be things we supported, I think we are living in a different world.

They are enacting their policy. Instead of doing these types of amendments, and I have opposed every one of them except one, instead of doing these types of amendments, what we need to do is, if we oppose them, get out, and elect another President to get the job done.

This doesn't do anything. If you could tell me that they had committed some crime, something that they didn't have the authority to do, then maybe we would consider it, but I noticed on all of these things, there are an awful lot of Holman amendments.

I am only going to speak on one of them. The same message goes for all of them. Frankly, I don't think we have the authority to do it, even though the rule of the House says we do.

They are appointed and they are confirmed by the United States Senate, and this is essentially firing. When you reduce the salary to $1, you are firing the individual.

I don't think we have that authority. Unless you can show me that they have done something illegal, high crimes or misdemeanors, something like that, I think this is silly, but we are going to have more of them. That is okay. I just wanted to speak on one of them because I don't want to repeat myself over and over and over again.

It gives sponsors of these amendments the chance to complain about what the administration is doing and that is okay, but I oppose the amendment.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I rise in support of this amendment to provide additional funding for the EPA Office of Inspector General to conduct the important and necessary oversight agencies.

I have spoken with several of the inspectors general who have said that with all of the funding that went out last year, funding that went out to the EPA and to other things, they don't have enough money to do the oversight to make sure that the money that was spent in the Inflation Reduction Act, the infrastructure bill, and other things is properly spent, and so they asked us actually and several of my colleagues on this side of the aisle, and Ms. Boebert and Mrs. Bice have also suggested that we need more money in the inspector general's accounts. I am supporting this amendment, and I hope my colleagues will also.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the amendment.

This administration continues to put out rulemaking that seeks to attack American energy producers with burdensome costs and regulations. These new costs will ultimately be passed along to consumers, driving up energy costs for American families and further shifting production to countries that are not our friends.

We must utilize an all-of-the-above approach to energy production and stop hampering domestic energy production.

It would be interesting to note, in the year 2020, we were actually energy independent in this country. We are no longer. Yet, we have the energy here in this country, but we refuse to use it. Therefore, I support the gentlewoman's amendment.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment. When we reduce spending overall, we have to make decisions. We have to make priorities. One of the things that we have tried to protect to the extent possible, because it was such a small part of our overall bill, was the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities because I have seen what they do in communities all across Idaho and across this country. Through the NEA grants, Americans in communities that we represent have access to arts and art programs.

I am not worried about the arts in Washington or in New York or in Los Angeles, but I am worried about the arts in Shelley, Idaho, a small town, but they have an arts council, and they do a great job.

I continue to see the impact that funding has, and most of these grants go out, as the ranking member said, to small communities to help with their art councils and so forth.

While I appreciate my colleague's effort to rein in spending, I cannot support this deep cut of the National Endowment for the Arts, so I oppose this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment much like the one previous amendment with the arts.

I appreciate the gentleman's attempts to reduce Federal spending. When he says that this is a small portion of the overall budget, it is a third of the budget of this agency, so it is significant to them.

I have worked with the National Endowment for the Arts, I have worked with the National Endowment for the Humanities, and I have worked with the State Endowment for the Humanities.

The work that they have done has been incredible. They preserve history in the State of Idaho. They bring in speakers. They have book signings and authors that come in. They come into towns in Idaho that would have never had these types of opportunities. It is amazing, the turnout that people exhibit when they go to these authors' speeches and so forth.

They help support our museums and other historical sites. I think this is one of the really good things the government does, so I am going to oppose this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 11 o'clock and 16 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, at 9 a.m.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my esteemed colleagues, Senator Mike Crapo, and Senator James E. Risch, to commemorate a truly remarkable milestone in our Nation's history--the 100th anniversary of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. Situated in the vast expanse of Idaho, Craters of the Moon stands as a testament to the unique geological wonders of our planet and the importance of preserving our natural heritage for future generations.

On May 2, 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed the proclamation establishing Craters of the Moon as a national monument. Craters of the Moon has a rich history, both geologically and culturally, spanning much further beyond its time as federally managed and protected land. Craters of the Moon offers countless opportunities for hiking, camping, cross-country skiing, wildlife viewing, and backcountry travel. Exposed fissures, lava fields, lava tubes, craters, and cinder cones form a strangely beautiful volcanic sea on central Idaho's Snake River Plain.

The significance of Craters of the Moon extends far beyond its stunning natural beauty. Its central feature is the Great Rift, a 52- mile-long crack in the Earth's crust. It serves as a living laboratory for scientific research, offering invaluable insights into the processes of volcanic activity and ecosystem development. Its rugged terrain also provides a habitat for a diverse array of plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth.

Additionally, Craters of the Moon holds profound cultural and historical significance for the people of Idaho and the broader United States. For centuries, Native American tribes have revered this land as sacred, and its exploration by early pioneers and scientists has helped shape our understanding of the natural world.

Idaho's abundance of parks, forests, and public lands makes our state a wonderful place to live, work, and play. As we celebrate the centennial of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, let us reaffirm our commitment to preserving and protecting this extraordinary place for future generations. Let us honor the stewardship of those who have worked tirelessly to safeguard its natural and cultural treasures and let us inspire a new generation of Americans to explore, appreciate, and conserve our Nation's unparalleled natural heritage.

In recognition of this historic milestone, and Craters Centennial Celebration, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve and in reaffirming our commitment to preserving our Nation's natural wonders for the benefit of all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Gov. C.L. ``Butch'' Otter on his induction into the Eastern Idaho Agriculture Hall of Fame. His exemplary contributions to the agricultural community have left an indelible mark, inspired generations, and shaped the landscape of our region. He is joining a long line of dedicated men and women who have shaped Idaho agriculture for generations to come.

Governor Otter has been a strong and effective advocate for Idaho agriculture and agribusiness throughout his career in public service including his time as Idaho's longest serving Lieutenant Governor, two terms in the Idaho House of Representatives, the U.S. House of Representatives, and as Idaho 32nd Governor. His dedication, expertise, and passion for agriculture have not only propelled his own success but have also enriched the lives of the residents of Idaho. This recognition is a testament to his outstanding achievements and enduring commitment to the advancement of Eastern Idaho's agricultural legacy.

From Governor Otter's humble beginnings on a small farm in Caldwell to his service in the Idaho Army National Guard and his impressive tenure in the agribusiness sector, he has exemplified hard work, integrity, and a deep commitment to the well-being of Idaho and its residents. His various roles at the Simplot Company and various appointments to prestigious committees and advisory boards are a testament to his expertise and influence in the industry.

Agriculture is a core component of Idaho's economy. With Governor Otter's appointment by President Ronald Reagan to the Task Force on International Private Enterprise, the World Bank's Agriculture Advisory Committee, and the Center for International Private Enterprise has helped many Idaho producers get Idaho's many commodities exported throughout the world. Perhaps more important than the economy is the culture of friendliness, care, and concern for neighbors that he helps create. For myself, his friendship over the years is truly invaluable, and I am deeply honored to call him my friend.

I thank Governor Otter for serving Idaho through his leadership roles and for his time spent in the agribusiness sector. Because of the positions that he has held, he understands just how important agriculture is to the sustainability of the state. The experience that he has gained over the years is invaluable to Idaho agriculture and agribusiness. Congratulations to Governor Otter on his induction into the Eastern Idaho Agriculture Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to extend my sincerest congratulations and recognition to Celia Gould, for her exemplary service and dedication as the Director of Idaho State Department of Agriculture. During Celia's tenure, she enhanced Idaho's economy via the ag sector, and she significantly contributed to the well-being of our communities.

Celia Gould was appointed Director of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture in January 2007 by Governor C.L. ``Butch'' Otter, and she was the first female to hold the position in Idaho. She is the owner/ operator of a fourth generation ranching and farming Operation, G+ Ranches of Buhl, Idaho and holds a master's degree in public administration from Boise State University. Celia spent 16 years in the Idaho House of Representatives, where she served on the Agricultural Affairs, Education, and Revenue and Taxations Committee, she also served as the Chairwoman of Judiciary, Rules, and Administration Committee. Her work has not only made a significant impact on the state's economy but has paved the way for other women to assume leadership roles in Idaho politics.

Celia's leadership has been instrumental in implementing innovative agricultural practices, promoting sustainable development, and fostering an environment where farmers and agribusinesses can thrive. Under her guidance, Idaho has seen remarkable growth in agricultural productivity and efficiency, ensuring that our state remains a leading contributor to the Nation's food supply.

One thing is for sure, if there was a problem in the ag industry--you could count on Celia to not only dedicate the appropriate resources to address the situation, but you could count on Celia to be there to see it through. She is Idaho Ag.

Her commitment to collaboration and partnership with local farmers, research institutions, and government agencies has been pivotal in addressing the challenges facing our agricultural community. Her ability to navigate complex issues and bring together diverse stakeholders towards a common goal is a testament to her exceptional leadership and vision. Idaho Ag is better because of Celia.

I thank Celia for her continued service and dedication to the State of Idaho. I am truly fortunate to be able to call her a lifelong friend, and I look forward to her future endeavors. Her visionary leadership and unwavering commitment serve as an inspiration to us all. Congratulations to Celia.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the distinguished career and contributions of J. Brent Olmstead, a fourth generation Idahoan raised on a cattle ranch with a rich background in public policy and advocacy.

Brent grew up on a cattle ranch south of Twin Falls, Idaho, and dedicated over 35

years of his life to public service. He began his career as a lobbyist for Idaho Commerce and Industry in 1994. There he focused his attention and expertise on issues such as agriculture, natural resources, immigration, and the environment.

After 7 years at IACI, where he served as vice-president. Brent then created his own consulting firm named MPIdaho. As a consultant, Brent specialized in public policy development and strategic planning for private businesses in agriculture, taxation, and immigration. He also created the non-profit organization, Milk Producers of Idaho.

More recently, Brent joined the University of Idaho's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, as assistant dean for government and external relations. In this capacity, Brent worked extensively on a project called the Idaho Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (CAFE). The new center will focus their research on critical problems that agribusiness faces.

Brent also received IACI's 2023 Pat K. Harwood award, in recognition of his decades of service to the state of Idaho. A great achievement for a man who exemplifies what it means to be a leader.

His commitment to Idaho is also evident through his service on various boards, including the advisory board for the James A. and Louise McLure Center for Public Policy Research, the Idaho Hispanic Foundation, the Idaho Small Business Advisory Council, the Children's Discovery Center of Idaho, and Idaho Red Cross.

My friend, Brent Olmstead, has had many titles in his distinguished career, but the two most important to Brent are father and husband. Brent is a devoted family man and raised five children with his late wife, Jane Wittmeyer.

If anyone has earned the right to have a peaceful and enjoyable retirement, it is Brent. Well done my friend and congratulations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Consolidated Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024.

I commend Chairwoman Granger for her leadership of the Appropriations Committee and for getting the first six bills across the finish line. I also thank the Interior Subcommittee Ranking Member Pingree for her partnership on this bill.

Together, we have negotiated a reasonable compromise to avoid a government shutdown that fails to respond to our Nation's needs and maintain our public lands.

The Interior and Environment division provides nondefense top-line resources totaling $38.9 billion, nearly 4 percent below the FY 2023 level.

Cutting funding is never easy, but with the national debt in excess of $34 trillion, we make tough choices in this bill to rein in Federal spending. Last Congress alone, $3 trillion was spent outside the normal appropriation process. That is 3 trillion additional dollars. As I have said repeatedly, simply holding funding flat is not enough. We must curb out-of-control spending and get our budget back on track. I am pleased that this bill does that and leads us in the right direction.

We reduced funding across most agencies and bureaus, and the Environmental Protection Agency is cut by nearly 10 percent.

Despite the reduced allocation, the bill provides an additional $34 million for healthcare, law enforcement, and related programs across Indian Country, and for the Indian Health Service, the bill continues advance appropriations, totaling $5.2 billion. The advance appropriation is a program that was started by Ranking Member Pingree when she was chairman of this committee, and we have continued that.

The bill also fully funds the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program. Let me explain that that program is vitally important to public land States. Because we can't collect taxes on Federal lands within those States, this is supposed to make up for the taxes that would come

from those lands if they were held in private lands. This is vitally important to public land States. It is not enough, but we fully funded it in this program.

It also provides an additional $260 million to maintain wildland firefighter pay without irresponsible budget gimmicks.

In terms of policy, the bill maintains longstanding legacy riders to prevent the ESA listing of sage-grouse and to exempt farmers and livestock producers from burdensome greenhouse gas permitting requirements.

The bill bolsters our energy independence by encouraging domestic production of critical and rare earth minerals and rejects administration proposals to increase offshore energy inspection fees and authorize onshore inspection fees.

For my constituents in Idaho, I am especially pleased that the bill blocks the Lava Ridge Wind Project until the Secretary of the Interior analyzes, in consultation with local officials and stakeholders, and they look at alternate plans to reduce the harmful impacts of this project.

In closing, I thank all the Members for their work on this bill. It is hard to reduce spending, yet we have been able to do that. I congratulate the staff on both sides of the aisle who worked very hard on this. While we were home, they were here working on this bill all night long. I include the staff on the other side of the rotunda. These bills are hard to compromise on, but we were able to get it done.

It represents a fair compromise that allows us to meet the spending levels agreed to in the Fiscal Responsibility Act and manage our public lands. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for yielding, and I thank both the gentleman from Kentucky and the gentlewoman from Washington for bringing this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3843, the bipartisan reauthorization of the Action for Dental Health Act of 2023.

First, I thank my colleague from Illinois, Congresswoman Robin Kelly, for her continued leadership on this issue. I was proud to partner with her in 2018 when the Action for Dental Health Act first passed, and I am pleased to see the House of Representatives working again in a bipartisan fashion to consider the reauthorization of the Action for Dental Health Act.

Since its implementation, the Action for Dental Health Act has improved dental care in communities across the United States, strengthened the dental safety net, and brought disease prevention and education into underserved communities.

This reauthorization is an essential step in continuing to address barriers to oral healthcare services that still exist, like tackling the oral health workforce issues and reducing the number of adults and children living with untreated dental disease.

As a former dentist in Blackfoot, Idaho, I know that the more we can provide patients with an early diagnosis, the better off our patients and our oral healthcare system will be.

As co-chair of the Congressional Oral Health Caucus, I am proud to, once again, join Congresswoman Kelly in this effort, and I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this critical reauthorization so we can continue the work to decrease dental health disparities in communities where better access to care is most needed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7217, the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act. As tensions grow in the Middle East, the state of affairs is becoming increasingly dangerous for the Israeli people and United States servicemembers. Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East, and the Israeli people are still recovering from the horrific October 7th terrorist attacks. This standalone Israel supplemental package ensures our great ally has the resources and tools they need to defeat Hamas, as well as provide important funding for our military forces in the region to deter terrorists and other enemies. The United States must send a clear message to the rest of the world--that we will continue to stand with Israel. I proudly support that message and will vote yes on this legislation. I encourage my colleagues to stand with our great ally Israel, and vote yes on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise along with my colleagues, Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, to recognize an important anniversary being celebrated at the U.S. Department of Energy's 890-square mile site in eastern Idaho. The Idaho National Laboratory, or INL, is celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2024.

On February 18, 1949, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission decided to build the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho. For 75 years, the efforts of the scientists, engineers, technicians, and support staff at what became INL has promoted American prosperity and contributed to our national security. On December 20, 1951, INL first demonstrated nuclear fission could be used to generate power to light our homes and cities. Throughout its history, INL has built and operated 52 original nuclear reactors and helped establish an American industry that today produces approximately 19 percent of our nation's electricity and more than half of our carbon-free electricity. In 2002, Congress designated INL as the nation's lead nuclear energy research and development laboratory, fitting for its legacy.

Since 1967, research conducted at INL's Advanced Test Reactor has powered and modernized the U.S. Nuclear Navy. The Navy once had to refuel its nuclear fleet frequently, an expensive and time-consuming process. Today, because of experiments conducted at the Advanced Test Reactor, the Navy's nuclear fleet can run the lifetime of the ship-- more than three decades--without refueling. That saves American taxpayers millions of dollars and ensures our fleet is actively defending U.S. national security instead of sitting in port waiting to be refueled.

INL is a world leader in industrial cyber security research and works actively with government and industry to protect and make the nation's critical infrastructure more resilient. INL has also advanced broader clean energy research, informing electric vehicle deployment and hydrogen production, and developed bioenergy solutions that benefit the environment and our nation's farmers.

Even as we celebrate INL's 75 years, the lab's leadership and staff are looking ahead. Those decades of service have provided the foundation that today's INL will leverage to help this nation build a brighter future. INL leads the effort to maintain and extend the lives of America's nuclear reactor fleet, while helping industry develop advanced reactor designs, including small modular reactors and microreactors. INL's vital national and homeland security work grows more important every day as our systems become increasingly automated and interdependent. As we eye the energy systems that will power U.S. prosperity into the future, INL's clean energy research is developing breakthroughs that will integrate renewables into the power grid and allow our manufacturing and transportation systems to operate more efficiently and with less environmental impact.

It is our great honor to congratulate INL and DOE on this important anniversary, and to wish its employees well as they work to resolve our Nation's pressing clean energy and national security challenges.

Mr. Speaker, since 2016 Charlene Maher has served as the president and CEO of Blue Cross of Idaho. Charlene came to Idaho with decades of experience in multiple different facets of the healthcare industry. This broad range of understanding has made her an invaluable asset to the company and to Idaho's larger business community.

As a trained nurse herself, Charlene is keenly aware of the importance of ensuring communities have quality and affordable healthcare options. Her innovative approach and her dedication to improving access to healthcare for all Idahoans has truly distinguished Charlene as a leader in the industry, as evidenced by her seat on the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Board of Directors, her time as president of the Idaho Association of Health Plans, her participation as a member of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and her contributions to various other state and national industry groups.

Charlene's contribution to Idaho's healthcare landscape throughout her time as CEO of Blue Cross of Idaho has been immense. I am grateful for her work and wish her the best of luck in her retirement.