Idaho Senate confirms three gubernatorial appointees, holds others for one legislative day
January 20, 2025 | 2025 Senate Legislative Sessions, 2025 Legislative Sessions, Idaho
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
The Idaho Senate on Jan. 20, 2025, adopted committee reports and confirmed three gubernatorial appointees: Rob Perez to the Treasurer’s Investment Advisory Board, Alex Adams as director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and Thomas J. Wilford to the Idaho Endowment Fund Investment Board. Several other nominations were placed on the calendar and held for one legislative day.
Senate committee reports recommending confirmation were read on the floor before motions to adopt. Senator Guthrie, chair of the State Affairs Committee, presented the committee report for Rob Perez’s appointment to the Treasurer’s Investment Advisory Board. Senator Growe moved to adopt the report and the motion was seconded; after floor remarks the Senate approved the report by voice vote, and the secretary’s office will notify the governor of the action.
Why it matters: confirmations place officials on boards that advise the state’s investment and budgeting decisions and install the leader of the state agency that manages the largest portion of Idaho’s budget.
Rob Perez: Senator Sarah Groh praised Perez’s private-sector experience during debate. “It’s not often that we get somebody for this kind of a position that founded a bank, an FDIC bank,” Groh said, noting Perez’s background as a bank founder, CEO and real-estate investor. The State Affairs Committee recommended confirmation; the Senate adopted the committee report and the appointment was approved by voice vote.
Alex Adams: The Senate Health and Welfare Committee reported favorably on Alex Adams’s nomination to serve as director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Senator Ben Orden, chair of the Health and Welfare Committee, presented the report. Senator Sarah Groh opened debate in support, noting Adams’s prior state finance roles and agency experience; Groh said the department manages “approximately a $5,000,000,000 budget.” The Senate adopted the committee report by voice vote, confirming Adams.
Thomas J. Wilford: The State Affairs Committee presented the report recommending confirmation of Thomas J. Wilford to the Idaho Endowment Fund Investment Board. Senator Guthrie and other senators described Wilford’s long record of nonprofit and accounting work, his CPA credentialing and military service. The Senate adopted the committee report and confirmed the appointment by voice vote.
Held appointments and referrals: earlier committee action reported several other gubernatorial appointments (Scott Madison to the Idaho Energy Resources Authority; Thomas Mello to the State Building Authority; Patricia Perkins to the Treasurer’s Investment Advisory Board) and recommended confirmation; those items were referred to the 10th order of business and held for one legislative day. Additional gubernatorial notices (including reappointments and new nominations such as Mike Edmondson, John Ford Alassar, David Birch and Dale McCumber) were referred to the committees named in the correspondence and filed with the secretary.
Actions at a glance: the Senate adopted committee reports and confirmed the three appointments above by voice vote; other nominations were held on the calendar for one legislative day or referred to committee for consideration.
The Senate clerk will file records of the votes and notify the governor’s office of the confirmations.
Senate committee reports recommending confirmation were read on the floor before motions to adopt. Senator Guthrie, chair of the State Affairs Committee, presented the committee report for Rob Perez’s appointment to the Treasurer’s Investment Advisory Board. Senator Growe moved to adopt the report and the motion was seconded; after floor remarks the Senate approved the report by voice vote, and the secretary’s office will notify the governor of the action.
Why it matters: confirmations place officials on boards that advise the state’s investment and budgeting decisions and install the leader of the state agency that manages the largest portion of Idaho’s budget.
Rob Perez: Senator Sarah Groh praised Perez’s private-sector experience during debate. “It’s not often that we get somebody for this kind of a position that founded a bank, an FDIC bank,” Groh said, noting Perez’s background as a bank founder, CEO and real-estate investor. The State Affairs Committee recommended confirmation; the Senate adopted the committee report and the appointment was approved by voice vote.
Alex Adams: The Senate Health and Welfare Committee reported favorably on Alex Adams’s nomination to serve as director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Senator Ben Orden, chair of the Health and Welfare Committee, presented the report. Senator Sarah Groh opened debate in support, noting Adams’s prior state finance roles and agency experience; Groh said the department manages “approximately a $5,000,000,000 budget.” The Senate adopted the committee report by voice vote, confirming Adams.
Thomas J. Wilford: The State Affairs Committee presented the report recommending confirmation of Thomas J. Wilford to the Idaho Endowment Fund Investment Board. Senator Guthrie and other senators described Wilford’s long record of nonprofit and accounting work, his CPA credentialing and military service. The Senate adopted the committee report and confirmed the appointment by voice vote.
Held appointments and referrals: earlier committee action reported several other gubernatorial appointments (Scott Madison to the Idaho Energy Resources Authority; Thomas Mello to the State Building Authority; Patricia Perkins to the Treasurer’s Investment Advisory Board) and recommended confirmation; those items were referred to the 10th order of business and held for one legislative day. Additional gubernatorial notices (including reappointments and new nominations such as Mike Edmondson, John Ford Alassar, David Birch and Dale McCumber) were referred to the committees named in the correspondence and filed with the secretary.
Actions at a glance: the Senate adopted committee reports and confirmed the three appointments above by voice vote; other nominations were held on the calendar for one legislative day or referred to committee for consideration.
The Senate clerk will file records of the votes and notify the governor’s office of the confirmations.
View full meeting
This article is based on a recent meeting—watch the full video and explore the complete transcript for deeper insights into the discussion.
View full meeting