Hal Bunderson

Hal Bunderson (born September 21, 1936) is an American politician who served in the Idaho Senate from the 14th district from 1993 to 2006.

Harold R “Hal” Bunderson is a Certified Public Accountant and retired partner of Arthur Andersen & Co. - Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boise and Salt Lake City offices.In Atlanta, he was head of the Small Business Division.In Idaho he had audit clients in every region of the state.Professionally, he was largely involved with auditing and consulting with closely held businesses in a variety of industries - gaining important insight in the business opportunities, challenges and risks faced by entrepreneurs – and how they can best solve their problems; insights that proved critical in being able to write the book for Boise State University, "Idaho Entrepreneurs."First Edition published 1992.Second Edition published December 2019.

Bunderson is a third generation native of Idaho, albeit he grew-up in Tremonton, Utah and attended Utah schools: Bear River High School, Utah State University and graduated from Weber State University.Bunderson and his wife, Mary Kay and their three children transferred from Atlanta to his firm’s Boise office in 1977.

He and his wife have been foster parents to two Native American children (Sioux and Yaqui) and under study-abroad programs, hosted two teenage boys from the People’s Republic of China and at another time, a teenage girl from Japan.

Hal retired from his Firm December, 1988.After retirement, he and his wife, with certain friends as partners, purchased land and developed three residential subdivisions in Meridian and Eagle.

In addition to his professional work, Bunderson provided significant volunteer service in the Boise metro area and region:

Community Service:

• United Way of Ada County (now United Way of Treasure Valley) - General Campaign Chairman (1980) and President (1981-1983).

• Boy Scouts of America (BSA): Ore-Ida Council - President (1985-1988); Financial VP (1984) –– awarded Silver Beaver.

• BSA: Area 2, Western Region -President (1988-1991) – awarded Silver Antelope.

• Meridian School District (now West Ada School District) - Co-Chairman of 1990 School Bond Election.

• Boise State University - authored the book, Idaho Entrepreneurs (1992), all royalties goes for Boise State University scholarships: Mary Kay and Hal Bunderson- Arthur Andersen

(endowed) Scholarship Fund. Second edition published 2019

• Idaho State Senator – served nearly fourteen years before retiring in November 2006 (see below).

• Idaho Statesman Editorial Board - Community Member – served two years, June 2007-2008 and June 2011-2012.

• Ada County Highway District - 2008 General Election - chaired Citizen’s Committee that passed reauthorization of vehicle registration fees in Ada County for 20-years (to 2028).

• Association of Idaho Cities (AIC) – Led all-volunteer 13 year effort of writing six books for the AIC: Editor/author of three of the books, “Idaho’s 200 Cities,” that profile the

geography, geology and history of Idaho’s three regions; North, Southwest and East and profiles the history, present and future of each city, by county, within each region (atotal of 203 chapters) and - Author of the three companion volumes: “Idaho Trivia,” - a total of over 1,600 multiple choice or true and false Q&A, with stories.The AICpublished the books in October 2017 - all royalties go for AIC’s nonprofit purposes - principally for scholarships.

Family history books – Wrote "Our Immigrant Heritage" (Bunderson's immigrant grandparents) and writing an autobiographical book that profiles him and his wife’s life and the lives of

each of their parents, siblings and grandparents. (in process)

Church service – Volunteer Church callings include Full-time 2-year missionary (1958-1960), Bishop, Counselor in Stake Presidency, Idaho Area Auditor and currently ordinance worker and

sealer in the Meridian Idaho Temple.

Idaho State Senator – During his 14 years of service, Bunderson authored or cosponsored scores of bills that improved state management practices and help make Idaho a safer place to

live, e.g., Laws that specified performance-based budgeting by state agencies; reduced state income tax rates by 0.4 percent; reduced blood-alcohol limit for DUI drivers to .08;strengthening penalties for repeat DUI offenders; fetal homicide (Noah’s law) that applied Idaho’s homicide, manslaughter and aggravated assault laws to the criminal injury ordeath of a pregnant woman’s fetus or embryo; requiring certain state agencies partner with cities and counties in beautifying unused state land within their municipaljurisdictions; conforming Idaho’s abortion law to U.S. Supreme Court ruling, tort reform, updating the circuit breaker laws, passing Do Not Resuscitate law, requiring cost-benefitanalysis for long-term real estate leases (lease vs. buy); rewrite rules for food inspections; rewrite rules of the Idaho State Liquor Dispensary, rewrite of Idaho’s Indigencylaws; changing the name of the Division of Vocational Education to the Division of Professional-Technical Education; authoring three amendments to Idaho’s constitution; and Chairedthe Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee.