House State Affairs sends Idaho Medical Freedom Act to general orders after debate on schools and businesses

BOISE — The House State Affairs Committee voted to send Senate Bill 12‑10, known in this draft as the Idaho Medical Freedom Act, to general orders for possible amendments after an extended presentation by its Senate sponsor and nearly 45 minutes of questioning and public testimony.

Senator Dan Foreman (Senate District 6), the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure would replace language in the existing Coronavirus Stop Act with a broader definition covering any “medical intervention” and would bar state and local governments, businesses and educational institutions from requiring medical interventions as a condition of employment, attendance or access unless federal law requires it. “What goes into somebody’s body is his or her choice,” Foreman said in his opening remarks.

The bill would amend chapter 5, title 73, Idaho code and rename the existing statute from the Coronavirus Stop Act to the Idaho Medical Freedom Act, according to Foreman’s presentation. Foreman said the legislation does not change existing statutory school vaccine policies and that longstanding industry standards requiring protective…