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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July 18, 2013

Idaho Ends Budget Year With $92.3 Million More Than Expected

Idaho ended its 2013 fiscal year with 6.3 percent more revenue than in 2012. The Division of Financial Management, under the governor’s office, reports tax collections for fiscal year 2013 came in at 3.5 percent above projections. Idaho collected $2.75 billion during the budget year that ended June 30. The Division reports all general fund […]

June 12, 2013

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter Works Toward Third-Straight Year Of Tax Cuts

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter is spending part of his week in Coeur d’Alene at Idaho’s largest business lobby’s annual convention. Gov. Otter’s spokesman says one of the administration’s main goals for the next legislative session is to pass a third-consecutive year of tax cuts. In 2012, the Legislature lowered corporate and individual income tax rates […]

May 8, 2013

Bottom Rung: Gov. Otter Touts Idaho’s Low Wages To Attract Gun Companies

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter is using Idaho’s low wages as a selling point. In a letter sent to out-of-state gun manufacturers last month to encourage them to relocate to Idaho, Otter touts the comparatively low cost of labor here. This week we’re reporting on wages in Idaho. The governor portrays as an asset the wage […]

April 18, 2013

Idaho Businesses And Governor Ready For Asian Trade Mission

Last April, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter and and representatives of 15 Idaho companies traveled to China hoping to develop trade relationships. On Friday, Otter and 17 Idaho businesses will head to South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam for a similar mission. The trade mission targets countries where Idaho companies hope to maintain or forge partnerships, said […]

April 10, 2013

Gov. Otter Announces Health Insurance Exchange Board Members

Idaho is on its way to building and operating a state-based health insurance exchange. The Legislature signed off on the state-run online insurance marketplace last month. Now, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter has selected the 19-member board which will “set the rules and regulations for implementing” the exchange. Here’s the list from the governor’s office:

April 5, 2013

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter Reiterates Wish To Hold Off On Expanding Medicaid Eligibility

“There’s no definite decision on not expanding Medicaid, yet.” Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter offered that equivocal statement in a press conference marking the close of the 2013 legislative session. He’s determined, he said, to find ways to inject more personal accountability into Idaho’s Medicaid system. “We’ll get eight months and some change in order to […]

April 4, 2013

Gov. Otter Signs Personal Property Tax Bill, Calls For Full Repeal

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter today signed a bill to partially repeal Idaho’s business personal property tax, calling it “a good and important start toward the goal of eliminating the personal property tax in Idaho.” In his letter to the Legislature the governor urges lawmakers to take the issue up again, and do away with the […]

April 2, 2013

In Two Charts, The Potential Costs And Savings Of Expanded Medicaid Access In Idaho

Lawmakers are still in Boise, where they’re grappling with the education budget past their wished-for departure date. Even with the extra time, it appears the push to expand Medicaid eligibility won’t resume this session. That discussion so far has centered on potential costs and savings with and without expanded access for Idaho’s poor. Counterintuitively, county […]

Mental Health, Preventive Care, And The Debate Over Medicaid Expansion In Idaho

When the 2013 legislative session wraps up, a big policy question will remain: Will the state make Medicaid available to a greater number of Idaho’s poor? The federal health care law encourages that move. It’s a debate that involves potential costs and savings, along with patient well-being. And it turns quickly to chronic conditions, like […]

March 25, 2013

Last-Minute Push For Medicaid Expansion Fails In House Committee

House Minority Leader John Rusche (D-Lewiston) this morning made an unorthodox push for action on a pair of bills that would expand Medicaid eligibility in Idaho and do away with the state’s catastrophic healthcare fund. As the Idaho Statesman‘s Dan Popkey writes: House Minority Leader John Rusche, D-Lewiston, took the rare step of using a parliamentary […]