WHEREAS, Idaho's tremendous geography and sparse population create problems of distance and isolation; and

        WHEREAS, the most rural counties in Idaho consistently have lower per capita incomes, higher unemployment rates, lower rates of population growth, higher poverty levels, less new construction, and job growth; and

       WHEREAS, the most rural residents of Idaho have less access to health care services, employment training, business assistance, library service, and diverse educational and cultural opportunities; and

       WHEREAS, the most rural communities have disproportionately large infrastructure needs for transportation, utility services, and education; and

      WHEREAS, the multitude of public and private organizations with an interest in helping rural Idaho need a mechanism for coordination and collaboration; and

      WHEREAS, there are critical areas of need in rural Idaho including increased leadership and governance, connectivity to telecommunication and broad bandwidth, excellent and relevant education and workforce development at all levels, funding for the creation, maintenance, and improvement of infrastructure, and the development of active local economic development teams;

      NOW, THEREFORE, I, C.L. “BUTCH” OTTER, Governor of the State of Idaho, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of this State, do hereby order:

1. The Idaho Rural Partnership (IRP) shall be authorized as an organization with an open membership for institutions, including all local, tribal, State, and federal governments, as well as for-profit and not-for-profit private organizations, that have an interest in or some responsibility for Idaho’s rural development.

2. The IRPs responsibilities will be to:

a) Assess conditions of rural Idaho;
b) Advise the Governor and the Legislature on public policy and strategies to improve the quality of life in rural Idaho;
c) Act as a clearinghouse of information and as a referral center on rural programs and policies;
d) Conduct outreach to rural communities and facilitate communication between rural residents and public and private organizations that provide services to rural communities;
e) Identify organizations, authorities, and resources to address various aspects of rural development;
f) Serve as a nonpartisan forum for identifying and understanding rural issues from all perspectives;
g) Develop better intergovernmental and private/public coordination and to seek out opportunities for new partnerships to achieve rural development goals within the existing structure;
h) Foster coordinated approaches to rural development that support local initiatives, not to usurp the individual missions of any of its member organizations or duplicate effort;
i) Seek solutions to unnecessary impediments to rural development, first within Idaho and then through the National Rural Development Partnership; and
j) Work cooperatively with the National Rural Development Partnership and other state rural development councils.

3. The partnership shall be managed by a board of directors that shall include the following members:

(a) A representative from the Office of the Governor;
(b) The directors from not more than five (5) agencies with rural responsibilities, these being, unless otherwise seated by the balance of the board of directors, the Idaho departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Environmental Quality, Labor and Transportation;
(c) The director of the cooperative extension service in the State of Idaho;
(d) Representatives from the following federal agencies: the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development, Farm Service Agency and Forest Service, the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management, the United States Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development;
(e) Four (4) state legislators consisting of two (2) senators and two (2) representatives selected by their respective legislative leaders;
(f) A representative chosen by each of the federally recognized Indian tribes in the State of Idaho;
(g) Four (4) representatives from organizations of local government in the State of Idaho, one (1) each representing cities, counties, economic development agencies, and resource conservation and development organizations;
(h) Two (2) representatives from for-profit business organizations, to include agribusiness and other businesses operating with special emphasis on rural areas of the State of Idaho;
(i) A representative of the principal contractor for the United States
Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory; and
(j) Five (5) rural leaders chosen by the Governor representing private
entrepreneurs, chambers of commerce, nonprofit and community-based organizations, living in rural Idaho and representing a geographic balance across the State.

4. Nonvoting, ad hoc members may be included on the board at the discretion of the chair to assist with specific issues and projects as necessary.

5. Members of the board of directors shall serve at the pleasure of the organization or entity the member represents. Board members appointed under subsection (1)(h) of this section shall serve four (4) year terms concurrent with the Governor’s term.

6. IRP Board members appointed by the Governor shall serve four-year terms concurrent with the Governor’s term. All Board members appointed by the Governor or representing state agencies serve at the pleasure of the Governor.

7. The IRP shall be led by two Co-Chairs, both of whom shall be elected by the IRP Board of Directors from among their membership, with one elected from the State Agency Directors serving on the Board and the other from all other categories of board membership. The Co-Chairs shall serve for a two year term, with the possibility of one additional term if re-elected, the term(s) to be synonymous with the Governor’s term. The responsibilities of the Co-Chairs shall be to:

a) Set operating policies with approval from the full Board;
b) Review and respond to issues in the interim between Board meetings; and
c) Manage the IRP budget and staff, including the hiring and dismissal of the IRP Executive Director.

8. The IRP Executive Director shall be:
a) Responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the IRP as directed by the IRP Co-Chairs;
b) An exempt, full-time position of the Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor as set forth in Idaho Code 67-4702;
c) A person with the skills necessary to manage a diverse public organization effectively and with broad experience in building and sustaining networks and partnerships; and
d) Hired through an open and competitive process when a vacancy occurs, after a broad, statewide advertising campaign without any pre-selection.

9. The IRP Board of Directors shall meet no less than once a quarter.

10. This Executive Order shall cease to be effective four years after its entry into force.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Idaho at the Capitol in Boise on this 7th day of March in the year of our Lord two thousand and seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred thirty-first and of the Statehood of Idaho the one hundred seventeenth.

BEN YSURSA
SECRETARY OF STATE