Senate approves 'Idaho Medical Freedom Act' replacing coronavirus-specific limits with broader medical-intervention protections

Boise, Idaho — The Idaho Senate passed Senate Bill 12-10 (as amended as amended in the House) on April 4, renaming the existing Coronavirus Stop Act the "Idaho Medical Freedom Act" and replacing references to the coronavirus with the term "medical intervention."

Sponsor Senator Foreman said the bill amends Chapter 5, Title 73 of Idaho Code and does not change existing school vaccine law. He described the measure as protecting personal medical choice and preventing mandates by businesses or government entities other than established school vaccination policy. "The decision as to what a citizen puts into his or her body involves a personal choice that should be made free from undue outside influence or intimidation," Foreman said on the floor.

The body first voted to suspend rules and immediately consider the bill; the suspension motion passed on a roll call that the chair announced as 26 ayes, 0 nays, and 9 absent or excused. After brief debate and a motion to dispense with further reading, the Senate recorded final passage by roll call as 27 ayes, 6 nays, and 2 absent or excused.

Senate leaders and the sponsor said the measure is intended to be broader than prior coronavirus-specific statutes and to preserve personal medical choice while leaving established school immunization law intact. The bill was referred to Judiciary and Rules for enrolling after final passage and later included among completed enrollments and transmittals recorded by the committee.

Votes at a glance: Suspension for immediate consideration (announced 26-0-9), final passage recorded 27-6-2. Enrolling and transmittal steps followed as part of end-of-day procedures.