Chemical Abortion Legislation

House Bill No. 154 was presented to the House State Affairs Committee on Monday. After a lot of testimony, both in favor and against the bill, the committee voted 13-4 to move the legislation to the House floor with Do Pass Recommendation. House Bill No. 154 aims to place new restrictions on medication-induced abortions by requiring in-person examinations of the patient by the physician before the abortion.

Full bill text can be found here

Psychologists and Prescriptions

Senate Bill No. 1060, a bill that would allow some psychologists to prescribe drugs for mental-health disorders, was presented to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee by Kris Ellis from the Idaho Psychological Association. The bill aims to offer a solution to Idaho's mental health care shortage by allowing psychologists who obtain a doctorate degree in psychology, a master's degree in psychopharmacology, clinical experience, and pass a nationally recognized exam to have prescriptive authority. The bill requires that the prescribing psychologist collaborates with the patient's primary care provider and also grants power to the Idaho Board of Psychologist Examiners to form an advisory panel that would make recommendations to the board. The legislation was reported out of committee with Do Pass Recommendation and when it reached the House floor for a third reading, the bill passed with a 26-8 vote.

Full bill text can be found here

Indigent Sick Legislation Killed in Committee

On Tuesday, Representative Trujillo and Senator Schmidt presented the legislation relating to the indigent sick to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. The bill aimed to disqualify anyone who earns over 138% of the federal poverty level from Idaho's County Medically Indigent Program and Catastrophic Health Care Cost Program. The committee voted to kill the measure with a 5-3 vote.

Full bill text can be found here

Cannabidiol Oil Legislation

The Senate State Affairs Committee introduced Senate Bill No. 1106 on Wednesday. The bill amends existing law to clarify that cannabidiol oil is not classified as "marijuana" under the Uniform Controlled Substance Act and would allow the oil to be used to help people with epilepsy.

Full bill text can be found here

Tanning Devices and Minors

This week John Vander Woude presented House Bill No. 177 to the House Health & Welfare Committee and the committee voted without opposition in favor of the bill. The legislation will be read on the House floor later in the session.

Full bill text can be found here

Sign Language Interpreter Licensing  

Representative Kelley Packer presented House Bill No. 152 to the House Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday. The bill would require Idaho sign language interpreters to receive a professional license from a state board. Currently there are no requirements and there have been reports of unqualified interpreters causing miscommunications. The legislation would make attempting to interpret sign language without a license a misdemeanor and form a board to determine guidelines for certifying interpreters. The bill was reported out of committee with Do Pass Recommendation.

Full bill text can be found here

Education debt for Rural Physicians

Representative Kelley Packer also presented House Bill No. 178 to the House Health and Welfare Committee this week. The legislation seeks to increase the amount and number of loan repayment awards made to Idaho physicians through the Rural Physician Incentive Program (RPIP). The program is a recruitment tool used to bring physicians to rural and under-served communities. The statement of purpose of the legislation explains that the bill will make Idaho more competitive with surrounding states and boost the physician workforce. The bill was reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation on Friday.

Full bill text can be found here

The New Telehealth Access Act

Representative John Rusche introduced House Bill No. 189, a new telehealth bill, on Thursday to replace the legislation that passed out of the House Health & Welfare Committee last week. The Idaho Telehealth Council had voted to amend the bill, instead of amending the initial legislation and slowing the process, Representative Rusche decided to introduce a new bill that included all the amendments. The bill was accelerated through a procedural vote and has been referred directly to the floor of the House.

Full bill text of the new bill can be found here

Protest of Anti-Abortion Bills

The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho, Planned Parenthood, and several female state lawmakers organized a rally at the Capitol on Thursday to protest the abortion bills S 1102 and H 154. As previously discussed, Senate Bill No. 1102 would require admitting privileges at a hospital within thirty miles for physicians performing surgical abortions and House Bill No. 154 aims to place new restrictions on medication-induced abortions by requiring in-person examinations of the patient by the physician before the abortion.

JFAC Voted on Health Education

On Friday morning the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee voted on increasing funds for health education programs. The approval provides a 12.7% increase in state general funds for health education programs that exist under the state Board of Education. The increase will provide support for the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI) Regional Medical Education Program, funding for new residents at Kootenai Health, funding for the Family Medicine Residency of Idaho, and funding for the Idaho State University Family Medicine Residency.

Bills/Rules of Note

If there are specific Bills or Rules that you would like Molly to track, please let her know.

For full bill text and more information regarding bills this session, please go to the Idaho Legislature Bill Center