What You Should Know About Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter

Background

State of Idaho

Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter (R-Idaho)

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C.L. “Butch” Otter has been a fixture of Idaho politics since 1973 when he was elected to his first term in the state House of Representatives.

Otter was elected to his second term as Idaho governor on Nov. 2, 2010. He was first elected governor on Nov. 7, 2006.

StateImpact Idaho sat down with the governor before the 2012 legislative session began to ask about a few key economic issues. Click the links below to see video of where he stands:

A Brief Biography

Otter, a Republican, is the longest serving Lieutenant Governor of Idaho, his tenure spanned from 1987-2000. In 2000 he was then elected to the United States Congress and served until 2006.

According to the Washington Post, Otter voted with his party most of the time, 86 percent, but has been known to have an independent streak on some issues.

“He was among three Republicans in the House to vote against the USA Patriot Act in 2001 and he later sponsored a bill to repeal parts of it. But independent streaks are sometimes tolerated in a state that would rather not be told what to do by the federal government.” – William Yardley, New York Times

Otter was born on May 3, 1942 in Caldwell, Idaho. He attended St. Teresa’s Academy in Boise and graduated from Boise Junior College (now Boise State University) with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1967. After college, Otter joined the Idaho National Guard and served in the 116^th Armored Calvary until 1973.

Butch Otter is married to his second wife, Lori. He has four children and several grandchildren.

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February 14, 2012

Santorum, Romney Campaign for Idaho’s 32 Caucus Delegates

As Rick Santorum makes campaign stops in Idaho, two of the Gem State’s top Republican lawmakers stump for Mitt Romney. Sen. Jim Risch and Governor Butch Otter say the presidential race comes down to straightening out the economy. “He knows and he understands job creation,” Risch says. “What the government’s role is in that, what […]

January 30, 2012

Otter One of “At Least a Dozen” Republican Governors Proposing Tax Cuts

Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter is not alone among governors in pushing for tax cuts as states’ budget crunches begin to ease. This story on NPR’s Morning Edition highlighted Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s push for reductions in the state’s tax on food and the estate tax. According to the story, that plan is drawing criticism […]

January 24, 2012

State Lawmakers Trim $33 Million from Governor’s Revenue Estimate

Lawmakers could have $33.3 million less to work with next year. A group of Idaho legislators voted to approve Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter’s revenue estimate for the remainder of this fiscal year, but decided to trim nearly $33.3 million from his 2013 recommendation. The 18-member Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee (EORAC) approved these figures […]

January 23, 2012

State Spending for Idaho Colleges and Universities Below 2006 Levels

It’s education week at the Idaho Legislature. Today, tomorrow and Wednesday officials from Idaho’s universities and community colleges will be asking lawmakers to spend money on infrastructure, employee salaries and programs to keep their schools moving forward. Governor Butch Otter’s budget for fiscal year 2013 recommends legislators appropriate about $254 million for universities and community […]

January 11, 2012

Gov. Otter’s Salary Increased 4 Percent From Last Year

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter’s salary is up 4 percent from last year according to the annual Rainbow Report issued by the state controller’s office. The Lewiston Tribune reports despite that 4 percent pay raise, the gap is widening between Otter’s salary and the highest paid state employee (Boise State University’s football coach). The governor’s fiscal […]

January 10, 2012

Idaho’s Former Chief Economist Critical of Gov’s Budget Proposal

Mike Ferguson was Idaho’s chief economist for 26 years. He left the post in 2010, and heads the new Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy, a non-profit that analyzes state tax and budget policy. StateImpact asked Ferguson to review the governor’s budget proposal, and the policy priorities it contains. Q: This seems like a different budget […]

January 9, 2012

On Air: Breaking Down Gov. Otter’s State of the State, Budget Address

As we reported earlier today, Gov. Butch Otter launched the 2012 legislative session with his annual State of the State and Budget Address. We spoke with Boise State Public Radio’s Samantha Wright this afternoon about some of the key-budget points: Click Play to Listen You can listen to the governor’s speech here and read the […]

The Otter Administration’s Key Budget Points

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter’s budget staff will spend the first few days of the legislative session explaining its budget proposal to lawmakers. Division of Financial Management Administrator Wayne Hammon will officially start that work tomorrow. Hammon met with reporters today to outline the administration’s key budget requests. Here are some important points: Governor Otter is […]

Governor Otter’s Speech Focuses on Jobs, Education and a Leaner Future

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter is delivering his annual State of the State Address right now to a joint session of the Idaho Legislature. You can watch the speech live here and follow along with a copy of the speech. We’ve highlighted some important passages and included more detail.

January 5, 2012

Ultimate Guide on the Economy for Idaho’s 2012 Legislative Session

On January 9th, Idaho’s Legislature will convene in Boise for its annual session. StateImpact Idaho will be focusing our coverage on how proposals and policy decisions impact Idahoans and the area economy. We’ve been interviewing leading lawmakers in the run-up to session and have compiled various resources to help you get involved or stay informed. […]