Senator John McGee

4th of July

Uncategorized - 2 months ago - John McGee

Hanna, Madalyn, and I spent the 4th of July weekend participating in parades in Caldwell,Greenleaf, and Wilder. It was humbling to see so much support. Thank you to all who came out

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Caldwell Independence Day Parade

Uncategorized - 2 months ago - John McGee

If If you live in Canyon County, make sure to attend the Caldwell Independence Day Parade on Saturday at 10:00 AM. I’m pleased to be this year’s sponsor of the event.

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Idaho Statesman Endorses Senator McGee

Uncategorized - 4 months ago - John McGee

Please visit the site below to view the Idaho Statesman’s endorsement of Senator McGee.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/05/11/1187817/mcgee-and-bolz-are-the-clear-choices.html

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Governor Otter Endorses Candidacy of Senator John McGee

Uncategorized - 5 months ago - John McGee

(Boise, March 31, 2010)
 
Governor Otter announced today his endorsement of the Idaho State Senate Candidacy of Senator John McGee.  McGee represents District 10 which includes Caldwell, Greenleaf and Wilder.
 
“Senator John McGee has earned and deserves the unconditional endorsement and the support of every person who cherishes our Idaho values – - limited government, personal responsibility, and fiscal conservatism. For the great job he has done, he has certainly earned mine.”
 
McGee, Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee is completing his third term of service in the Idaho State Senate and was Chairman of  the Treasure Valley Transportation Task Force. During his first term, McGee successfully carried the largest transportation funding bill in Idaho history that is currently funding the improvements taking place on I-84. He also sits on the Agriculture and Health and Welfare Committees.  McGee was elected by his peers to serve on the important Legislative Council and was named the 2006 Idaho State Republican Legislator of the Year.  McGee was named a Council of State Governments Toll Fellow in 2007.
 
“There is no greater standard bearer of conservative values in Idaho than Governor Butch Otter,” said Senator McGee, “I’m pleased to receive the endorsement of our Governor.”
Senator McGee is active in his community as the Chairman of the Canyon County Republican Central Committee, the United Way of Treasure Valley and was a 2009 International Special Olympics Board Member.  McGee is a member of the Caldwell Rotary Club.  Senator McGee serves his alma mater, the College of Idaho, as a member of the Board of Trustees.
Senator McGee has received many awards from local and state organizations, including the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Agriculture Educators, the Idaho Agricultural All Star Award (2005-2009), the COMPASS Leadership in Motion Award, the 2009 Transportation Leader of the Year from Treasure Valley Women in Transportation, and the Friend of Community Healthcare Centers by the Idaho Primary Care Association.
A life-long resident of Caldwell, Senator McGee is a graduate of Vallivue High School and received a BA in History from the College of Idaho; he was elected student body president at both institutions.  McGee and his wife, Hanna, live in Caldwell with their daughter, Madalyn.

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GOVERNOR HAILS EFFICIENT LEGISLATIVE SESSION- NEWS RELEASE

Uncategorized - 5 months ago - John McGee

(BOISE) – Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter applauded Idaho’s citizen legislators today for the efficiency, sensitivity and civic virtue with which they conducted the 2010 session, which ended late Monday.
      “They have my thanks and my respect for the way they did the job of representing the people we all serve,” Governor Otter said. “Idahoans can be proud that their interests, their money and their rights were protected by these senators and representatives who come from every walk of life and from communities throughout our state. It was a great way to reopen this historic Capitol – reaffirming fundamental Idaho values.”
       As he outlined in January’s State of the State Address beginning the legislative session, those values were embodied in five principles he urged legislators to follow: 1) Don’t raise taxes, 2) Maintain some cash reserve, 3) Protect the educational opportunities and safeguard the potential of the next generation of Idahoans, 4) Protect the health, safety and well-being of our citizens – especially the neediest and most vulnerable among us, and 5) Avoid any duplication of effort or any waste of the taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars.
      The Governor issued a list of 11 areas in which he and Legislature worked with a particular emphasis on collaboration this year, reflecting those fundamental principles and focused on the budget and on living within the means of Idaho taxpayers and employers:
 
1)      The Governor and Legislature worked together to live within the people’s means, by setting reasonable budgets that reflect our fiscal and economic realities and recognize the importance of maintaining a stable, predictable tax and regulatory structure to help us attract and retain career-track job opportunities.
 
2)      The Governor and Legislature worked together on securing the spending authority needed for the Idaho Education Network. This critical program will help equalize educational opportunities throughout our rural and vast state. We are asking for spending authority of a generous contribution from the Albertson Foundation – $6 million over two years. We will have 80 high schools hooked up by July 1, 2010 and need these funds to get 80 more completed over the next year. All of these efforts will result in more career opportunities for Idahoans.
 
3)      The Governor and Legislature worked together to create the Higher Education Stabilization Fund. It will be a useful and important tool to help stabilize funding for higher education, like the Public Education Stabilization Fund. More secure funding for Idaho’s higher education system ultimately will result in more stable career opportunities for Idahoans in the state’s institutions of higher education.
 
4)      The Governor and Legislature worked together on an enhanced tax credit for charitable contributions to particular State agencies. Finding additional revenue streams to fund these agencies will reduce the burden on the General Fund.
 
5)      The Governor and Legislature worked together on a plan for addressing Idaho’s “tax gap” through compliance staff enhancements based on quarterly “return-on-investment” accountability measures.
 
6)      The Governor and Legislature worked together on funding for the Correctional Alternative Placement Program (CAPP) facility, which will open in July 2010. Its goal is reducing costly crime and recidivism in our prison system. It will save Idaho taxpayers $29,000 per offender.
 
7)      The Governor and Legislature worked together on funding for the Comprehensive Aquifer Management Plan (CAMP): $2.2 million in State funding to leverage on-the-ground projects this year, and to keep the committee committed to staying at the table and finding a long-term funding solution for CAMP.
 
8)      The Governor and Legislature worked together on the Idaho Health Freedom Act – protecting the rights of Idaho to choose their own healthcare plan without being forced by the federal government to buy health insurance – and on an appeal to Congress to amend the U.S. Constitution to specifically ban such federal usurpation of states’ rights.
 
9)      The Governor and Legislature worked together to secure $12 million in GARVEE bonds, which would spur much-needed transportation projects and generate jobs statewide.
 
10)  The Governor and the Legislature worked together to save General Fund resources by revamping operations at the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. The department now has business plans for each Idaho state park and has not closed any state parks as other states have done.
 
11)  The Governor and Legislature worked together to find efficiencies and save taxpayer dollars in Idaho’s human services commissions.  The Human Rights Commission will be supported by the Idaho Department of Labor. The Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing will be supported by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and Vocational Rehabilitation. A cooperative agreement was created for the Idaho Commission on Aging to co-locate with the Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired. And lastly, the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs and Council for the Developmentally Disabled are moving to State-owned buildings.

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Healthcare Reform

Uncategorized - 6 months ago - John McGee

Last week in the Idaho State Senate, Governor Butch Otter is held a public signing ceremony for HB 391a, the “Idaho Health Care Freedom Act.” The bill prohibits the enforcement of any federal mandate for Idahoans or Idaho businesses to purchase health care, and requires the state Attorney General to go to court to fight any such requirement. This bill will protect the people of Idaho, which is one of our obligations as a government, and is the right thing to do. This is a sovereignty issue for the state of Idaho and will help reduce government interference in the citizens of Idaho’s lives. About 30 other states are considering similar measures.

HB 391is not simply a memorial to Congress or a simple resolution. As a State Legislature, we often send memorials to Congress or enact resolutions, but those have no force in law. The Idaho Health Freedom Act is completely different. This is now a law of the State of Idaho. Congress needs to know that a nationalized healthcare system is not in the best interest of the United States.

During Sunday’s vote in Congress, there were countless American’s protesting Washington’s efforts to regulate our healthcare system. The majority of Americans did not want to see this 2,309 page health care bill become law. As of Monday, 53 percent of Americans oppose this bill and only 43 percent support it. This should have been an eye-opener to Congress, and they should not have proceeded with the passage of the bill.

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Update

Uncategorized - 6 months ago - John McGee

This week in the Idaho State Senate, we voted overwhelmingly 29-5 in favor of SB 1352, to add a clause to Idaho’s inattentive driving law banning texting while driving. As I have previously stated, this is a uniquely dangerous practice. According to the University of Utah, using a handheld device while driving slows down a driver’s reaction time as much as a blood-alcohol level of .08. Texting while driving multiplies your chances of getting in an accident by four times. As the Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and the sponsor of this bill, I answered numerous questions from other senators.  The definition in the bill is broad enough, that it covers reviewing or sending text messages.

I also have proposed legislation that would preclude Idahoans who are on active military duty from having to pay a $10 late fee for renewing their concealed weapons permit, once it has expired. I do not believe that our men and women in the armed forces should have to pay a penalty if they are unable to renew their permit because they are serving our country. This is a small way to honor the sacrifice of our men and women in the armed forces.  The bill passed the Senate Friday.

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PERSI

Uncategorized - 6 months ago - John McGee

This week in the Idaho State Legislature, the Senate decided to not take action on legislation that would block a cost of living increase for state retirees, effectively allowing the increase to take place. The PERSI (Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho) Board recommended that there be a 1% COLA (Cost of Living Allocation) to state retirees, and I believe that the legislature should approve that recommendation. Recently, PERSI was named one of the best performing state retirement systems in the nation according to a national report from the Pew Center.

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Senate Bill 1352

Uncategorized - 6 months ago - John McGee

Senate Bill 1352 (the texting while driving bill) passed the Senate Transportation Committee today unanimously. It was great to see so many concerned Idahoans come out to testify on behalf of this bill. I was also very pleased to see a large number of high school students participate in testimony, and all were in favor of this legislation.

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Post Register Article

Uncategorized - 6 months ago - John McGee

February 25, 2010 “Youth Not An Obstacle” By: Nick Draper

BOISE — A successful and prominent political career for Sen. John McGee was predicted at a very early age.

Sen. Patti Anne Lodge, a Huston Republican serving her fifth term, has known the 37-year-old Republican from Caldwell since he was a child and said McGee’s kindergarten teacher had him pegged as a future elected official.”She knew he’d be governor or president someday, just by the way he carried himself,” Lodge said.

The phrase “Boy Governor” also circulates around the Statehouse halls in reference to the youngest member of the Idaho Senate. McGee, who is completing his third term, said he isn’t considering his political future right now and that fixing Idaho’s crumbling roads and bridges is his top priority.

“I feel like I have some work left to do in the Senate,” he said. But McGee’s name is already being heard in connection with higher offices: Before U.S. Sen. Larry Craig declined to seek re-election in November 2008 after his conviction in a Minneapolis bathroom sex sting, McGee’s name was floated as an eventual Craig replacement if Craig’s career had followed a normal path. When Craig didn’t seek re-election and then-Lt. Gov. Jim Risch vacated his post to run for the Senate, McGee was one of three finalists for the lieutenant governor position eventually filled by Brad Little, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said.

And after Democratic U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick defeated Republican incumbent Bill Sali in the 1st Congressional District race in 2008, McGee considered and ultimately rejected a run for the GOP nomination in this year’s May primary.

McGee, who has an 18-month-old daughter at home with another child on the way, said it’s gratifying to be considered for political promotions but still too early for him to leave the Senate. “I’m flattered my name keeps coming up for these high-profile positions,” McGee said. “It’s not something I stay up at night thinking about.”

His rsum indicates otherwise. McGee was the class president both at Vallivue High School in Nampa and at the College of Idaho, a private university in Caldwell, before he graduated in 1995.

McGee ran unopposed for the state Senate in 2004 and became vice chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee in his first term. During that first term, McGee successfully carried a bill that established the nearly $1 billion GARVEE Transportation Program, a program that uses Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle (GARVEE) bonds to expedite highway improvement projects, mostly in the Treasure Valley, by borrowing against future federal highway dollars.

He assumed the chairmanship of the same committee at the beginning of his second term, something that is fairly uncommon, said Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls. “It is the exception to the rule,” he said. “You usually have to be here for a number of years.”

McGee was also fortunate to come into the Legislature at a time when there was a lot of turnover, which allowed him to assume a committee chairmanship well ahead of anyone’s expectations. “I was uniquely positioned,” he said.

This term, McGee’s Senate colleagues appointed him to serve on the Legislative Council, which oversees the permanent staff at the Statehouse, and the Senate leadership appointed McGee to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, which evaluates the operations of state agencies.

It’s those sorts of positions, and McGee’s ability as a legislator, that make some believe he’s meant for bigger things.

Otter said he wouldn’t be surprised if McGee became governor. “Sure,” Otter said. “John has been a great, understanding ally, not just for me but for the residents of Canyon County.”

Lodge said she knows McGee’s future lies beyond the state Senate. “I expect him to either be governor or a U.S. senator,” she said. “He has a tremendous political knowledge. He knows how to work with people.”

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