[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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",[32,76,88],{"_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",6306811,"mediaKeyId","2436171-0c7f611b185e530f8b29d17735c85bb0","parentId",2436171,"title","Senate panel sends bill easing rules for prescribing psychologists to the floor","audioSeconds",902,"startMs",68535,"endMs",971220,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2436171-0c7f611b185e530f8b29d17735c85bb0&start=68&end=971","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2436171-0c7f611b185e530f8b29d17735c85bb0/thumbnail_68535.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6306811/Idaho/Senate-panel-sends-bill-easing-rules-for-prescribing-psychologists-to-the-floor","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306811-6c1013448cae0f57b02bee514a92f855/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157845&Signature=F9UzWcMtqlFMfBJbqcV-FPmscXxwXepDXW77OBEHzrdINx2l6Km-Br1r7j2PctKELSBm5QDGB6hXaANABnZriGaKuoIFFCL8cg~nQbMQqYOVDa4Z9Ge9moaIOmkBYzFUcviCc5Dsxko8gGVRZFv2Xek~4x7QllAgTyNcrJ60FKStAKdUD--g2o~l70y-FrkjTN62y7~PzHToR3HqpDwJvlNG6WTn7hT8RcrG131dYmphv35Yyi-l6FufRW~WXKjx9NKTy29HutpsgA31mQn4IaYfOa-ZzOs8k8TOVOrlfsglTa3D79OZW7ItYq98jkZ7P80z2A~mUrDK3UKYeNRdSQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate of Idaho","date","2025-02-20T00:00:00Z","article","Senate Health and Welfare Committee members voted to send Senate Bill 1088 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation after committee testimony from the bill sponsor, psychologists who treat patients in Idaho and the Idaho Psychological Association.

The bill, presented by Senator Mark Harris, would change how Idaho regulates prescribing psychologists by phasing out a physician-only supervision model and replacing it with a collaborative agreement that can include experienced prescribers such as nurse practitioners, pharmacists and other prescribing psychologists; it would also remove a permanent advisory panel the sponsor calls obsolete and add a background-check requirement for new licenses to conform with the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT).

Supporters told the committee the existing supervision rule has limited Idaho’s ability to expand the number of prescribing psychologists. “Idaho has eight prescribing psychologists since the law took effect eight years ago,” Senator Mark Harris said, and witnesses said the supervision requirement has been a practical barrier to newly qualified clinicians starting to prescribe.

Lance Giles, a contract lobbyist speaking for the Idaho Psychological Association, said the division of occupational and professional licenses reviewed the bill and raised no objections. Several licensed psychologists testified in favor of the measure. Dr. Kendra Westerhouse and Dr. Lynn MacArthur described service extenders and continuity-of-care issues, saying the bill would allow doctoral students who do not receive an intermediate master’s degree to serve as supervised service extenders. Dr. Patrick Bartos described personal difficulty securing a supervising physician under current law and told the committee he had not been able to prescribe in Idaho despite completing the required training.

Supporters emphasized the bill would maintain patient safety while broadening who may participate in collaborative agreements. Committee questions focused on the scope of the new collaborative model and how it balances patient safety and supervision. Senator Cindy Wintrow asked whether the collaborative model simply expands the set of qualified supervisors; Giles answered that it does.

The bill would also remove a permanent advisory panel for prescribing psychologists that supporters said has fulfilled its initial purpose and is no longer needed. The proposal adds a background-check requirement for new psychologist licenses; that requirement would not be retroactive for currently licensed psychologists.

After discussion, Senator Keiser moved and Senator Buerke seconded sending the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. The committee approved the motion by voice vote; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript.

If adopted by the full Senate, the bill would change statutory supervision language for prescribing psychologists and the state’s implementation of PSYPACT-related licensing requirements. The committee record shows no formal opposition presented during the hearing; proponents said they had worked with multiple stakeholders while drafting the bill.

--
Votes at a glance: Senate Bill 1088 — Motion: “Send Senate Bill 1088 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.” Mover: Senator Keiser; Second: Senator Buerke. Outcome: approved by committee (voice vote). Specific recorded tallies not provided in committee transcript.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Health & Welfare February 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Health and Welfare Committee members voted to send Senate Bill 1088 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation after committee testimony from the bill sponsor, psychologists who treat patients in Idaho and the Idaho Psychological Association.","taxTitle","Health and Welfare, SENATE, Committees, Legislative, Idaho","taxId",57004,"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},6306802,"Senate committee advances Medical Ethics Defense Act after hours of contested testimony",4815,3591205,8406223,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2436171-0c7f611b185e530f8b29d17735c85bb0&start=3591&end=8406","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2436171-0c7f611b185e530f8b29d17735c85bb0/thumbnail_3591205.jpg","/articles/6306802/Idaho/Senate-committee-advances-Medical-Ethics-Defense-Act-after-hours-of-contested-testimony","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306802-04551ead9722475e9d8f17a11bfd56d7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157845&Signature=ULxt-rz3RFVPlD6uVIuLRrTJMFRFvl5RCgKexvlugi8c3FVxWYcnKAEBe9MChayQNuE-4jGzRsCI2DX5oYxmZjySIKlCRwOSTcsEFXygXsP8KXimqYtfqjtU28jInjhyMr~gHXpao0FAjzkou7Q05iN4M2Wwc3KZTMe4W2ZhsVTcKFyvGKW904qoCYfH~OmdGBe~T-zk0ShmXohpY-jSSqJXa~G2OTip19eU8MjK83ipMJtpz9JjTt7JPlJ0cz~z7R9DGdCvk~OyMsvi0~Tm0aRP1YG3fJJS0ifnEfCcXHXvwgAkL~ecsboU6dqc-SdmpyYlrFS1aOv26GDRo91JlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted to send House Bill 59 — labeled the Medical Ethics Defense Act — to the full Senate with a due-pass recommendation after two hours of testimony from physicians, nurses, counselors, patient advocates and legal counsel for the bill.

Sponsor Senator Carl Bierke told the committee the bill would expand conscience protections beyond existing Idaho law (which the sponsor said covers certain end-of-life and counseling protections) to a broader set of health-care professionals, institutions and payers. The sponsor and the bill’s attorney said the measure would allow health-care workers to decline to participate in procedures that violate their religious, moral or ethical beliefs while preserving federal emergency-care obligations, including EMTALA (the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act).

Greg Chafwin, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom who testified for the bill, said the law is procedure-based: it protects refusal to participate in particular procedures, not refusal to treat patients based on who they are. Chafwin said the bill includes an emergency-care exception and notice provisions and that similar laws in other states have not produced widespread disruption.

Supporters who testified said the bill would protect clinicians’ free-speech and conscience rights and encourage health-care professionals to remain in practice, arguing that disciplinary actions and licensing threats during recent public-health controversies prompted some clinicians to leave the field. Testifiers included physicians and clinicians who described losing colleagues or facing professional pressure during the COVID pandemic; several witnesses urged the committee to adopt the bill to retain and recruit clinicians to rural Idaho.

Opponents, including Planned Parenthood Advocates and health-care practitioners, said the bill is too broad and could allow front-desk staff, pharmacists or insurers to deny services or information on the basis of asserted moral objections. Planned Parenthood’s witness said the bill does not impose a clear patient-notice requirement and argued it could block patients from receiving evidence-based care or even basic diagnostic information. Other opponents said the bill’s private-cause-of-action provisions and immunity language could restrict patients’ remedies if a provider refused care.

Committee members asked about scope and limits. Attorney Greg Chafwin and the sponsor said malpractice law would still apply and that the bill’s protections are not intended to cover emergency care required by federal law; Chafwin also said institutions may require notice of objection so accommodations can be arranged. Several senators said they understood the intent but wanted narrower language or clarifying amendments; the sponsor indicated he planned to work on a small number of amendments if the bill moves forward.

After debate the committee approved the motion to send the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation by voice vote. A substitute motion to send the bill to the fourteenth order for possible amendments did not receive a second and failed. Committee discussion and testimony reflected a strong division among medical professionals and advocacy groups in the hearing room and online.

--
Votes at a glance: House Bill 59 — Motion: “Send House Bill 59 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.” Mover: Senator Keiser; Second: Senator Ziderfeld. Outcome: approved by committee (voice vote).","House Bill 59 would expand conscience protections for health-care workers, institutions and payers. The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted to send the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation after testimony both for and against the measure, which generated debate over patient access, emergency exceptions and legal remedies.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6306805,"Committee backs three-year 50¢-per-tire fee to clean abandoned tire piles",2602,988355,3591065,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2436171-0c7f611b185e530f8b29d17735c85bb0&start=988&end=3591","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2436171-0c7f611b185e530f8b29d17735c85bb0/thumbnail_988355.jpg","/articles/6306805/Idaho/Committee-backs-three-year-50-per-tire-fee-to-clean-abandoned-tire-piles","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306805-dddc8532214a91af52e0ffd918735895/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157845&Signature=L9UOimMtVadxZ5Z9A~p-HHOMsGTZVXKizIf-nL7KhA9bbtUz-cd~aSdlQumhWUe9AJN5gRRSGimHqMdXumvzFS-rkqNEkH68XNojx0M6RlkvS8ovQ4EQfG7JxrvtQiL48xfDHgttiHtIx4-jLKHZt6JSFrZu0tkuJdXq6EMMFVCw8wPCr41JSQ48OfAaBZHBA8HvnAiSmB-H19arP1FQuYlkEHyQHbnvqE3vGu3AVNhL8wr66TslpKeBI1L6gx-NOadKPYSeX7GnKtvtH9z2uS4ZTeFTHbbOrMrnf6eIh1GxP1SGA-1UacoJtvmiFJuusSAcJf6ecJbvMT4Sl6WMGw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted 5–4 to send Senate Bill 1089 to the Senate floor after hearing testimony from recyclers, local governments and trade groups supporting a three-year pilot program to address abandoned waste-tire piles and to incentivize tire recycling.

Sponsor Mark Harris told the committee that Idaho faces dozens of abandoned tire piles across the state that pose environmental and public-health hazards, including fire risk and mosquito breeding. The bill would establish a 50¢ fee charged at the point of purchase and deposit the revenue into a new state fund administered by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) subject to legislative appropriation. DEQ could use the fund to contract for cleanup, provide grants to local governments or provide partial reimbursements to recyclers for collection and processing.

Roy Eguerin, a lobbyist working with Liberty Tire Recycling, described an inventory DEQ prepared and the stakeholder process used to craft the bill. He told the committee the sponsor and stakeholders developed the bill to replicate programs used in other states, notably Utah and Colorado. Eyewitness testimony and photos shown in committee put the issue in local terms: the sponsor and witnesses described piles in Burley and Idaho Falls and identified dozens of locations around the state.

Recyclers and operators said the rebate structure is necessary to keep legitimate recyclers from being undercut by unscrupulous collectors who might charge low fees and dump tires. Rob Jerries of Liberty Tire and Craig Hunter, CEO of Tire Reclaim in Caldwell, said funds and rebates would allow collection from remote piles and support markets that use crumb rubber, tire-derived fuel and other recycled products. Hunter said Tire Reclaim had invested in a shredder and processing equipment and that inconsistent markets make collection from remote piles economically difficult without incentives.

Stakeholders who testified in support included the Association of Idaho Cities and the Idaho Association of Counties. The Association of Idaho Cities representative said cities and counties lack sufficient funding to remediate large piles, especially in rural areas.

The bill’s key features in committee testimony:
- A 50¢ point-of-sale fee on tires for a three-year pilot period.
- A new fund deposited at the Tax Commission and administered by DEQ, with expenditures subject to legislative appropriation.
- DEQ authority to contract for cleanup or provide grants to local governments to remove abandoned piles.
- A partial reimbursement/rebate program to recyclers to offset costs of collection and processing and to discourage illegal dumping.
- An annual DEQ report to the legislature on cleanup progress and program finances.

Committee debate included questions about the scale of the problem and the fee’s duration. Senators expressed varying views about using a statewide mandatory fee versus voluntary or market-based solutions. Senator Ziderfeld asked recyclers about expected profit and cost per cleanup; recyclers said the fee would help make more cleanups economically feasible but would be additional business rather than a windfall. Senator Harris said the pilot could be extended or terminated after three years depending on results.

The committee recorded votes on a roll call. The clerk’s roll call recorded the following positions: Senator Harris (Aye), Senator Ziderfeld (No), Senator Lenny (No), Senator Shippey (No), Senator Blaylock (Aye), Senator Keiser (No), Senator Wintrow (Aye), Senator Bjerke (Aye), Senator Van Orden (Aye). The motion passed 5–4 to send the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation.

If enacted, the bill would create a temporary funding mechanism to contract cleanup and incentivize recyclers to remove and process abandoned tires. Supporters stressed the public-health and fire-threat rationale; opponents and some committee members warned about imposing a statewide mandatory fee and urged local control or opt-in alternatives.

--
Votes at a glance: Senate Bill 1089 — Motion: “Send Senate Bill 1089 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.” Mover: Senator Wintrow; Second: Senator Blaylock. Roll-call recorded 5 ayes, 4 nays; motion approved.

","Senate Bill 1089 would create a three-year pilot program funded by a 50¢-per-tire fee to pay for cleanup of abandoned waste-tire piles and to provide partial reimbursements to recyclers. The Health and Welfare Committee voted 5–4 to send the bill to the floor after testimony from recyclers, local governments and retailers.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate panel sends bill easing rules for prescribing psychologists to the floor

Senate committee advances Medical Ethics Defense Act after hours of contested testimony

Committee backs three-year 50¢-per-tire fee to clean abandoned tire piles