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Senate committee advances bill moving foster‑care licensing rules into statute; removes two‑location firearm storage requirement
Summary
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted Jan. 30 to send Senate Bill 1034 to the Senate floor with a do‑pass recommendation; the bill moves foster‑care licensing material from administrative rule into statute and removes a prior rule requiring firearms and ammunition be locked in two separate locations.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Jan. 30 voted to send Senate Bill 1034 to the Senate floor with a do‑pass recommendation. Sponsor Senator Brandon Shippey (R‑District 9) told the committee the bill moves certain foster‑care licensing rules from the Idaho Administrative Procedures Act into statute and removes a prior rule that required weapons and ammunition to be locked in two separate locations.
Shippey, a foster parent, said the existing rule created a recruitment barrier and “essentially disarms you” as a foster parent. He described the remaining requirements as basic housing standards — “you have to have a toilet. You have to have a sink. You have to have warm water” — and said the bill does not introduce additional household rules. Shippey said the Department of Health and Welfare will develop a gun‑safety education video to be included in licensing orientation and that he intends to participate in its development.
Committee debate centered on child safety and safe storage. Senator Michelle Wintrow (D) said she would oppose the bill on the committee floor, citing national data: she referenced the National Violent Death Reporting System and said it identified 1,262 unintentional firearm injury deaths among children in the prior year and emphasized research showing that safe storage is the most effective prevention measure. “Safe storage…is the number one way to do it,” Wintrow said.
Other senators asked whether the education would target foster parents and how it would address placements with older children or those with behavioral issues. Shippey said education would be directed to licensed providers and that in higher‑risk placements he would “definitely recommend … firearms be locked up.” Several committee members noted existing licensing language addressing hazardous materials and accessibility to children and suggested safe storage fits under that rubric.
Senator Harris moved, and Senator Blaylock seconded, to send SB 1034 to the Senate floor with a do‑pass recommendation. The transcript shows Senator Wintrow declared she would register a no vote on the committee; the hearing record does not include a roll‑call tally of individual yes votes in the audio transcript provided. The bill will proceed to the full Senate for consideration.
During discussion Shippey and others said the department has previously enforced the licensing rules and that the bill’s intent is to codify longstanding requirements into statute while removing the specified two‑location firearm storage line. No amendment was adopted in the hearing; one attempted substitute motion to send the bill to the fourteenth order for possible amendments died for lack of a second.
