2026 Boise Metro Chamber Governor's Address to the Business Community

From third-grade reading scores to small modular nuclear reactors, Governor Brad Little covered a lot of ground at the Boise Metro Chamber’s 2026 Governor’s Address to the Business Community. In a candid, conversational format, Little fielded questions on the topics business leaders care most about, and didn’t shy away from the hard ones, including growth.

Education: The Foundation of Everything
When asked why K–12 education has remained his top priority, Governor Little didn’t hesitate. “We spend half of all your tax money on K–12,” he said. “It’s pretty silly to do that if we’ve got a whole bunch of kids who can’t read.”

Literacy, he emphasized, is the linchpin. The state has increased literacy investment sevenfold and is changing instructional approaches with meaningful results. Little made the case that reading proficiency by the end of third grade is not just a personal milestone, it affects every student in the classroom.

He also pointed to a 70% increase in education funding since taking office, alongside gains in teacher pay and healthcare benefits, improvements he credited with reducing the long-standing wage disparity between Idaho and neighboring states like Washington, Oregon, and Wyoming. The result: better teacher retention, especially in rural districts.

Growth: A Problem Worth Having — If You Plan for It
With the Treasure Valley experiencing some of the fastest growth in the nation, the question of how to manage it drew one of Little’s more colorful responses. Speaking to a room full of Chamber members, he acknowledged that a random poll of 100 Idahoans might show most are opposed to growth, before pivoting quickly to the business community’s responsibility to reframe the conversation.

“You either have growth or you’re flat and you go backwards,” he said. “What we have to do is prudently plan for it and make the investments early, so we’re ready for it.”

That planning, Little stressed, requires collaboration across cities, counties, and metropolitan planning organizations. Housing affordability in particular demands coordinated investment in sewer, water, roads, and workforce, and the governor signaled his intent to significantly accelerate those efforts.

He drew a sharp contrast with where Idaho once stood: “When I first became Lieutenant Governor, we had 10% unemployment — 100,000 people out of work. There were no bad jobs.” Today, he said, Idaho has the luxury of being selective about the kind of growth it invites, and the Chamber has a role in communicating that distinction.

Water and Wildfire: Planning for What’s Coming
Following a winter with little snowpack, Little was candid about the fire season ahead: “I am very concerned.” He outlined a multi-layered strategy and earlier response to ignitions, contract aircraft and crews, and a strengthened partnership with the new federal administration through the Forest Service and BLM.

He also praised Idaho’s local response infrastructure, including farmers, ranchers, loggers, and rural fire departments who are often the first on scene, and credited the new Forest Service chief’s philosophy of attacking fires at first spark as a meaningful shift in approach.

On water, Little highlighted the significance of $30 million in annual dedicated funding, an investment he worked to embed into the state’s long-term appropriations process. Plans to expand Anderson Ranch Reservoir are underway, with construction expected within two years. And looking further ahead, he pointed to the Snake River Plain aquifer that is a Lake Erie-sized underground reserve and the most efficient long-term water storage option, one that will require continued investment in recharge infrastructure.

Energy: Hydropower, Nuclear, and What’s Next
Idaho’s energy advantage, the lowest avoided cost of any state in the nation, is something Little is proud of and determined to protect and build upon. Hydropower remains the backbone, but acknowledge the challenges Idaho faces with a lack of excess energy.

The Governor expressed enthusiasm for nuclear energy as the next frontier. Idaho has submitted a bid to the Department of Energy for a lifecycle nuclear energy award, and three small modular reactors (SMRs) are on track to reach criticality at Idaho National Laboratory. Little’s vision extends beyond powering Idaho, he sees the state as a design and manufacturing hub for SMR technology that can be deployed across the country and exported globally.
Geothermal also received attention as a growing opportunity, while Little flagged natural gas capacity constraints as a near-term challenge requiring attention.

Transportation: Collaboration Is the Starting Line
Acknowledging that significant transportation investments have already been made, and visible across the Treasure Valley, Little was direct about what comes next, and how communities need to get on the same page. The path forward, he argued, runs through collaborative planning and partnership with cities, counties, and metropolitan planning organizations working together and with the community to define shared priorities. More resources will be needed, but alignment must come first.

Keeping Idaho Kids in Idaho
Asked what he’d prioritize next if given a free hand, Little returned to a theme he’s championed throughout his tenure: keeping Idaho’s young talent in state. His answer connected workforce development, quality of life, and outdoor recreation into a single pitch.

“You can’t beat a good job,” he said. When students graduate and see strong career opportunities, especially through industry partnerships with Idaho’s four-year institutions and community colleges, they stay. And what keeps them long-term, he noted, is quality of life: less time in traffic, more time outdoors.

“There’s no better recruitment than bringing somebody to Boise and having them ski in the morning, fish at noon in the river, and golf in the afternoon,” he said. “There aren’t very many communities where you can do that.”

A Call to Engagement
In closing, Little turned the mic back to the room. The Chamber’s role, he argued, is to make the affirmative case for smart, managed growth, and to counter the narrative that growth and quality of life are at odds.

“The burden on the chamber and its members is to say: yes, but. Yes, but if you want the quality of life that you came here for, we’re going to have to invest in education, in roads, in public safety.”
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It’s a message the governor has delivered consistently, and one that carries particular weight when delivered to a room full of the business leaders who help shape Idaho’s future every day.

Governor Brad Little delivered these remarks at the Boise Metro Chamber's 2026 Governor's Address to the Business Community on April 1, 2026 at The Grove Hotel. This blog post was prepared from a transcript using the help of AI.

Thank you to the following sponsors for making this event possible: Presenting sponsors: ICCU and Simplot Co-sponsors: Albertsons, Gardner Company, Idaho Complete Health, Intermountain Gas Company, Lamb Weston, Micron, and Regence BlueShield of Idaho.
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