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Idaho Senate confirms three gubernatorial appointees and refers several others to committees
Summary
On Jan. 28, 2025, the Idaho Senate adopted committee reports to confirm three of Gov. Brad Little’s appointees — Corey Barrier to an offender-management board, Lance Bolen to the Board of Environmental Quality and Dean Stevenson to the Idaho Water Resource Board — and referred additional nominations to standing committees for consideration.
The Idaho Senate on Jan. 28, 2025, adopted committee reports confirming three gubernatorial appointees and referred several other nominees to standing committees for further review.
The confirmations followed brief presentations from committee chairs and floor sponsors. Senator Dan Hartog introduced the nomination of Corey Barrier to the offender-management board and said Barrier "has served as a probation and parole officer" and "has a strong desire to use evidence based practices" aimed at reducing recidivism. The Judiciary and Rules Committee report recommending confirmation was adopted by voice vote; the clerk filed the paperwork and the senate said it would notify the governor. The committee report listed Barrier’s term as ending Jan. 1, 2027.
Senators also adopted a Health and Welfare Committee report recommending confirmation of Lance Bolen to the Board of Environmental Quality. During floor remarks, Senator Hart described Bolen’s background, saying Bolen "has a bachelor's of science degree in environmental engineering from the Colorado School of Mines" and has worked in mining operations, and urged fellow senators to support the nomination. The committee report states Bolen’s term expires July 1, 2028. The report was adopted by voice vote and the paperwork was filed.
The senate likewise adopted a Resources and Environment Committee report to confirm Dean Stevenson to the Idaho Water Resource Board. Senator Anthony praised Stevenson’s water-sector experience and described him as "one of those experts on water in our community," citing his service as chairman of the Magic Valley Groundwater District and involvement in regional water negotiations. Stevenson’s term on the report is listed to expire Jan. 1, 2029. The report was adopted by voice vote and the paperwork will be filed.
In addition to the confirmations, the senate received messages from the governor notifying the chamber of other appointments and referred those nominations to committees: Joseph Forney was referred to the State Affairs Committee for consideration for the Idaho Endowment Fund Investment Board; Mark Watkins was referred to the Health and Welfare Committee for the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired; and Colonel William Gardner’s appointment as director of the Idaho State Police was referred to the Judiciary and Rules Committee. Those referrals were announced by the clerk and recorded in the senate journal.
Votes at the meeting were taken by voice; the transcript reports "the ayes have it" for the adopted committee reports but does not include recorded roll-call tallies. The senate recorded the adoptions and instructed that paperwork be filed in the secretary’s office and that the governor be notified of the confirmations.
The meeting then proceeded to other orders of business, including bill introductions and referrals recorded by the secretary.
