Committee approves sending RS31829 to print to move mental-health and substance-use program rules into statute

Sen. Julie Van Orden, R‑District 30, asked the Senate Health and Welfare Committee to send RS31829 to print, a request to move three sets of Department of Health and Welfare administrative rules — children’s mental health services, adult mental health services, and substance use disorder services — into Idaho statute. The senator told the committee the change “doesn’t increase or decrease services to anybody. It only moves existing program regulations into statute so that the legislature would be able to address them, in Idaho code instead of going in through the administrative rule process.”

The measure would transfer definitions, eligibility screening requirements and, in the case of substance use disorder services, certification standards from administrative rule into Idaho code and repeal the three rule sets effective July 1, the same day the statutory provisions would go into effect. Van Orden asked the committee to send the RS to print; after a brief motion by Sen. Blaylock and a second by Sen. Lehi, the committee approved the request on a voice vote.

Committee members asked no substantive questions during the presentation. No fiscal impacts or changes to eligibility were asserted in the presentation; Van Orden described the proposal as a re‑location of existing rule language to statute so the Legislature, rather than an administrative rule process, would have primary oversight.

The committee record shows the RS was sent to print for introduction. The presentation cited Idaho Code references to children’s mental health at “Idaho code 16, chapter 24” and described that the statutory language would repeal the three rule sets effective July 1, with the statutory text to appear when the bill is printed.