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Senate committee advances bill clarifying nurses' delegated assessments
Summary
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted to send House Bill 89 to the floor. The bill replaces vague language about LPNs "contributing" to assessments with clearer language allowing registered nurses to delegate specific, focused assessments to licensed practical nurses when appropriate and within scope.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted to send House Bill 89 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation after the bill's sponsor described it as a technical cleanup to clarify scope of practice for nursing teams.
Representative Healy, who introduced the bill, told the committee that current statutory language referring to an LPN "contributing to" an assessment is ambiguous and inconsistent with administrative rules. "Contributing really isn't, they can't ask them to contribute. It's very arbitrary," Representative Healy said. She added that IDAPA (Idaho administrative rules) uses the term "assess," not "contribute," and the bill aligns statute with that language.
The bill replaces the phrasing that previously read "contributing to" with wording that allows registered nurses to delegate "appropriate delegated focused assessments" to licensed practical nurses. Asked by Senator Shippey whether "performing delegated assessments" differs in practice from "performing appropriate delegated focused assessments," Representative Healy said there is no practical difference; "Focused means just, again, that list, and delegated is also. So the appropriate delegated, focused, with some verbiage." Healy said the addition of the word "appropriate" was requested by nursing stakeholders to ensure delegated tasks stay within the RN's purview and do not push duties beyond an LPN's scope.
Healy gave examples to illustrate the change: an LPN could be delegated to take vital signs or assess skin integrity — tasks within LPN scope — but not to perform an intake that the RN is responsible for. "That might not be appropriate because I am responsible for that patient," she said.
Senator Blaylock moved to send House Bill 89 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation; Senator Wintrow seconded. The committee approved the motion by voice vote; all members present responded "aye," and no opposition was recorded.
The bill is intended as a statutory clarification rather than an expansion of duties; sponsors and proponents characterized it as aligning statutory language with existing IDAPA rules and everyday clinical delegation practice.
