Senate committee rejects portion of genetic counselors' code of ethics incorporated in rule

The Idaho Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted to reject a subsection of the National Society of Genetic Counselors Code of Ethics that had been incorporated by reference in a state administrative rule (IDAPA 24.24.01.002).

Committee members said the incorporated standards included a nondiscrimination section listing a range of identities the committee found problematic to include as an incorporated standard in full. The committee first approved a pending docket (docket number 24-2401-2401) and then moved to reject the specific subsection of the code of ethics. Senator Bierke moved to approve the pending docket; the motion passed by voice vote. Senator Bierke then moved to “reject section 2, subsection 3 of the National Society of Genetic Counselors Code of Ethics incorporated by reference in IDAPA 24.24.01.002,” and the committee approved that motion after clarifying and correcting the reference number on the record.

Senators discussed that the challenged text listed nondiscrimination standards and noted concerns about incorporating an entire external professional code by reference. One committee member said the provision listed “a long list of people and identities that couldn’t be discriminated against,” and described receiving pushback when the rule was considered previously in the House. The committee recorded both motions and a final voice vote rejecting the cited subsection of the incorporated code.

The committee did not provide a roll-call tally in the transcript for the rejection vote; the motion passed by voice vote. The committee later revisited the docket to correct the subsection numbering and reaffirmed the rejection.