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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><img width="624" height="147" style="width:6.5in;height:1.5347in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.png@01D8191D.801E1230" alt="Graphical user interface, text
Description automatically generated"></span><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">February 3, 2022<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><u><span style="font-size:22.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Moody’s Investors Service upgrades Idaho to AAA rating<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Boise, Idaho – Governor Brad Little commented on the
<a href="https://gov.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/moodys-rating.pdf">announcement today from Moody’s Investor Service</a>, the premier ratings agency, that it upgraded Idaho from the AA1 issuer rating to the AAA issuer rating.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Last fall,
</span><a href="https://www.fitchratings.com/research/us-public-finance/fitch-upgrades-idaho-idr-to-aaa-outlook-stable-04-11-2021"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Fitch Ratings also upgraded Idaho’s credit rating to AAA</span></a><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">,
the highest level. Only a handful of states achieve the AAA credit rating annually.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">“Thanks to our diligent and unrelenting focus on reining in state spending and saving healthy amounts for rainy days, Idaho has received the coveted AAA rating
from Moody’s for the first time, and I am very proud. Last fall, Fitch Ratings upgraded Idaho to the AAA rating as well.
<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">“When I took office as Idaho’s 33<sup>rd</sup> Governor three years ago, one of my biggest priorities and one of our most important fiscal accomplishments
would be to achieve the AAA rating, a step that would save Idaho taxpayers millions of dollars on future projects.
<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">“This achievement may not grab headlines the way politically charged issues can, but let me tell you – this will have an impact on your wallets. This is what
good government is all about. I appreciate my partners in the Legislature for sharing my passion for maintaining a lean state budget and stable rainy-day funds. Our partners in the private sector, too, have done a tremendous job propelling Idaho’s economy
forward,”</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> </span>
</i><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Governor Little said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">The Moody’s announcement noted, “The upgrade to AAA reflects the state’s continued positive economic and demographic outlook and positive governance changes to increase reserves that offer
increased protection against the state’s volatile economic and revenue structure.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">The report also noted Idaho’s strengths in fostering a diversifying, growing economy and implementing sound financial management and conservative budgeting.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" align="center" style="text-align:center;background:white"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"># # #</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="background:white"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="background:white"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black">NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: Marissa Morrison Hyer, Press Secretary</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="background:white"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black">208-943-1686 or </span></span><span style="color:black"><a href="mailto:marissa.morrison@gov.idaho.gov"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;text-decoration:none">marissa.morrison@gov.idaho.gov</span></span></a></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="background:white"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black">--</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="background:white"><span style="color:black"><a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001jPcDrZTUF2iffZAaFR5CaCO9D9OTNmcIrS9m2JnRBQLxSmCCDvAfzkhQC6WRNcW4O6931CUyPvAzTSP21AiJ4rioUvabaHbWJxzuwF2hEYM%3D#_blank"><span class="normaltextrun"><i><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;text-decoration:none">Sign
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<p class="paragraph" style="background:white"><span class="normaltextrun"><i><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black">Reply to this e-mail to unsubscribe</span></i></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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