Legislative District 32 tasked with recommending replacement for Wendy Horman’s legislative seat
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IDAHO FALLS – Wendy Horman, a longtime legislator representing Bonneville County, is resigning, effective Jan. 5.
Horman, a Republican representative for District 32, Seat B since 2012, accepted a position with the Trump administration. She will join the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as director of the Office of Child Care in the Administration for Children and Families.
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Horman tells EastIdahoNews.com she’s excited about this “unexpected opportunity.”
“It was great timing for our family. My husband was selling our physical therapy practice at the end of this year anyway and was just going to work part-time. We have a daughter who lives in the D.C. area, and we haven’t been able to live around any of our children for about 12 years,” Horman says.
Horman’s husband, Briggs, founded Peak Performance Physical Therapy Services in 1999.
Horman was invited to apply for the position by Alex Adams in October. Adams, a Boise-area native who previously served as director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, was appointed Assistant Secretary for Family Support in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in March.
Horman will be working closely with Adams in her new role. She worked closely with Adams during her time in the legislature, and she says she’s excited to work with him again.
“He was the budget director for Gov. Little, so I worked closely with him in my role on the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee and even more so when I became chairman in 2023. When he became director of the IDHW, Sen. C. Scott Grow and I worked very closely with him in his agency’s very complicated and large budget,” says Horman.
Horman says this new role is similar to her responsibilities with JFAC, which consisted of “effective and efficient” management of budgets, including federal childcare grants coming to Idaho.
She’ll be helping Adams in his efforts to reduce red tape by “reorienting the office of childcare around children and families.”
“We’ll bring a focus on states and what’s best for individual states,” she says. “Whether they’re red or blue, we’ll be sending grants with flexibility that assures the safety and well-being of children.”
‘I really appreciate the trust (voters) have placed in me’
Horman got her start in politics as a trustee with Bonneville Joint School District 93. She later became president of the Idaho School Boards Association.
She also founded and chaired the Energy and Technology Caucus.
Horman says education was her initial reason for running for the state legislature, and her work in that area is what she considers her greatest accomplishment.
“I helped author every single public education budget for the last 11 years,” Horman says. “I championed massive investments in teacher salaries, health insurance, classified staff salaries, and literacy. The public education budget has doubled during the time that I served on JFAC. I’m proud of those investments we made.”
Horman cites a bill she helped pass in 2015 that created the Office of School Safety and Security, which she says has won multiple national awards.
“I’m very proud of my work to expand educational freedom and parental choice,” she says. “Families of greater means already had school choice. But now, families of modest means have a choice.”
Supporting the “critical mission” of the Idaho National Laboratory through the Energy and Technology Caucus is another proud accomplishment for Horman.
As she prepares to step down, Horman says it’s the people she’s worked with over the years — fellow lawmakers, staffers, Gov. Brad Little, and voters — whom she will miss most.
“I really appreciate the trust (voters) have placed in me. Their input, support, and engagement have made me a better person and legislator. I couldn’t do the work effectively if I didn’t listen to the people, and I feel like that’s been one of my strengths.”
Finding a replacement
With nearly a year left in her seventh term, it now falls on the Legislative District 32 Committee to find Horman’s replacement.
The committee is now accepting applications for the position. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age, be a member of the Republican Party and live in District 32, which encompasses most of rural Bonneville County.
Committee members will interview candidates during a public meeting on Jan. 6. They will recommend three candidates to Gov. Brad Little, who will make the final selection. The position will be up for re-election in November.
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the Bonneville County Elections Office at 497 North Capital Avenue in Idaho Falls.
“This process is an important responsibility entrusted to the precinct committee officers under Idaho law,” District 32 chairwoman Maria Hatch says in a news release. “We are committed to conducting a transparent and orderly nomination process that reflects the values of Legislative District 32 and ensures continued representation for our constituents.”
Those interested in applying can submit a resume and cover letter to info@bonnevillegop.com. The deadline to apply is Jan. 2 at 5 p.m.