[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6108672,"mediaKeyId","2767608-2d78da3ddb44a0519ff5b5fc19f039b7","parentId",2767608,"title","Committee advances 'Idaho Medical Freedom Act' after extended public testimony; schools and public-health officials urge caution","audioSeconds",196,"startMs",391000,"endMs",587000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2767608-2d78da3ddb44a0519ff5b5fc19f039b7&start=391&end=587","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2767608-2d78da3ddb44a0519ff5b5fc19f039b7/thumbnail_391000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6108672/Idaho/Committee-advances-Idaho-Medical-Freedom-Act-after-extended-public-testimony-schools-and-public-health-officials-urge-caution","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6108672-5ef667da77f0d68d0d059dab98bbc01d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445506&Signature=YslHtrTRe6uQGh5Daof0Js753Bb5wy0-BAR7asQE1L5c1sohcs~YghXaq3lpIQnMLH8cA5a1W37v3E8oFDyGEW5L0JygX7Dpe~1giDeahdXBjXtwqqBvXGdP~nt-h0SU7QnbmSPsVCDO6-1LduID~wCLuULlShPoTtiSS3So-FWWEg6O-QyPBm-Un9hmLWBv63iXCOiKIjkUd4WkIC7IZpgC-VzAQQSlgHsqMN-yoTk6-pRET7ioj~LhjJAch37UXW9k054GUndLS8Jc4csd88c4RRdSGC67XlRpqVWEEH1z60NuMNEP8XqMTXIC8uygy5578SyG8jprFTYsmW-1Zw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Idaho House of Representatives","date","2025-03-14T00:00:00Z","article","The Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee voted 8-5, with two members absent, to send Senate Bill 1023, the \"Idaho Medical Freedom Act,\" to the House floor with a do-pass recommendation after more than two hours of testimony from proponents and opponents.

Sponsor Representative Rob Bieswanger introduced the measure and deferred to Leslie Manoukian of the Health Freedom Defense Fund, who presented the bill and framed it as a restoration of \"bodily autonomy.\" \"The right to medical freedom is foundational to our nation,\" Manoukian said, arguing the bill would prevent employers, schools and businesses from conditioning employment, education or access to services on an individual's medical choices except in limited circumstances such as recognized occupational or vocational hazards.

Proponents included national- and state-level advocates who described experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic when they said local policies, employer mandates and business requirements infringed on individual medical choice. Dr. Ryan Coles, an Idaho-trained pathologist testifying in support, said, \"Any medical intervention has risk. And where there is risk, there must be choice. A mandate takes away choice.\" Ron Nate, president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, also supported the bill, saying it would protect Idahoans from what he described as indirect or back-door mandates.

Opponents included school officials, health-care workers and public-health advocates who warned the bill as written would create legal conflicts and hamper disease mitigation in schools and other settings. Quinn Perry, deputy director of the Idaho School Boards Association, said the measure would \"create massive confusion and issues for school leaders\" by pitting the new language against existing code. Perry cited Idaho Code 33-5-12 (school boards' authority to limit attendance for contagious disease) and other sections that the association interprets as necessary tools for outbreak response.

Nurses and pediatricians objected that the bill would reduce the information schools and public-health authorities use to respond to contagious diseases. School nurses Heather Gagliano and Jane Withers told the committee that immunization records help districts identify risk and notify families during outbreaks; Withers described using state immunization registry data to track students' vaccine status. Pediatrician Noreen Womack warned that lower vaccination rates are associated with increased risk of vaccine-preventable disease and said the state saw more than 1,000 pertussis cases in 2024.

Committee members pressed proponents on the bill's scope. Representative Egbert asked whether the bill would apply to common school health issues such as head lice; presenters replied that the measure targets government or business directives about medical interventions and does not bar schools from excluding students for contagious conditions that threaten others. Sponsors and proponents repeatedly pointed to an exemption in the bill for occupational or vocational hazards and for entities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding. Several committee members said the bill's language around those exemptions and its interaction with existing code was unclear.

Representative Redmond moved to report the bill to the floor with a do-pass recommendation. The committee recorded a roll-call vote that produced 8 ayes, 5 nays and 2 absences; the chair announced the motion passed and the bill will go to the House floor.

Why it matters: If enacted, the bill would broaden protections against requirements tied to medical interventions across employment, education and public access in Idaho, with possible downstream effects on school outbreak management, employer policies, and private-business operations. The hearing showed a split between proponents emphasizing individual autonomy and opponents raising practical public-health and legal concerns.

Votes at a glance: Motion to report SB 1023 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation — Passed by roll call, 8 ayes, 5 nays, 2 absent.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Health & Welfare March 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The House Health and Welfare Committee voted 8-5, with two members absent, to send Senate Bill 1023 — the Idaho Medical Freedom Act — to the House floor after extended testimony from advocates and public-health and education officials.","taxTitle","Health and Welfare, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Idaho","taxId",28583,"location","Idaho","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6108677,"House committee advances bill to require confirmation of Health and Welfare bureau chiefs",285,69000,354000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2767608-2d78da3ddb44a0519ff5b5fc19f039b7&start=69&end=354","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2767608-2d78da3ddb44a0519ff5b5fc19f039b7/thumbnail_69000.jpg","/articles/6108677/Idaho/House-committee-advances-bill-to-require-confirmation-of-Health-and-Welfare-bureau-chiefs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6108677-032b6736e2acb4efae70921931b3c69d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445506&Signature=mTUud10n5x2XAtgEqwGQA0My0DyWEwi5yC~Nmo2XZTEAnNRzSD63MYQfQ7QTNkwDdFa3Tw5wiqt1O3nz-PNKESn5m6N7Md-UW2aVCW4luCIKX~iq5aIL9z6sEC-aio40k~7qKG4VgyUNUAe7Yjjp2mfzZ3q2PnjNILTGhqYKfzVdOI0hFc6iod8k606mclyTY~1VWELIH5UXaq11KrTvyy2UWsZ2HZuwVQA9iXwuxNSWg09LAFluMG~nRx~Wo29Jl2dAiEAv4-abIcIWMdrggNoqbr3EfFYlAuwWOuKw8UzI6OE2-joe-zbHaE7PSSTzHaLHAAN4eN-FONBe10AHWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee voted to send Senate Bill 1052 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation after a brief presentation and questions from members.

Senator Bridal Lenny, District 13 of Nampa, told the committee the bill aligns the confirmation standard for bureau chiefs with that already used for division heads in the Department of Health and Welfare. \"This bill all this bill does, it does 1 thing. It makes it easier to hire and fire, bureau chiefs in the Department of Health and Welfare,\" Lenny said, adding that many bureaus oversee budgets and staffs larger than some entire agencies.

The bill drew questions about executive appointment and workload. Representative Rob Bieswanger, who carried the item to the committee, deferred detailed presentation to Senator Lenny. Representative Levitt asked whether bureau chiefs are appointed by the governor; Senator Lenny replied, \"No, they're not.\" Representative Wheeler asked whether the change would add administrative burden to the director; Lenny said the director had reviewed the bill and did not expect new employees or a large time commitment.

Senator Lenny cited staffing and budget figures for context, saying the Department of Health and Welfare employs roughly 3,000 people and oversees a budget of about $6,000,000,000. He told the committee some bureaus have several hundred full-time positions — the benefit field operations bureau, he said, has 418 FTEs, and the child support bureau about 101 FTEs — and argued those sizes justify additional oversight. He also referenced prior instances of mismanagement, including “millions of dollars of misappropriated childcare grants” and problems tied to a prior harm-reduction program that was later repealed.

Representative Wheeler moved to send Senate Bill 1052 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation. The committee approved the motion by voice vote; members signified “aye,” and the chair declared the motion carried. The transcript records a voice vote only; numerical tallies were not specified.

The bill will be carried on the floor by Representative Bieswanger, per the committee announcement.

Why it matters: The change would subject bureau chiefs — the managers of many operational units inside Idaho's largest state agency — to the same board confirmation process applied to division heads. Supporters framed the bill as an accountability measure for taxpayer dollars; opponents did not offer extended debate at the committee hearing.","The Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee voted to send Senate Bill 1052 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation after proponents said the measure would bring bureau chiefs under the same confirmation standard as division heads in the Department of Health and Welfare.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee advances 'Idaho Medical Freedom Act' after extended public testimony; schools and public-health officials urge caution

House committee advances bill to require confirmation of Health and Welfare bureau chiefs