Committee sends House Bill 290 — moving immunization rules into statute — to the floor with due‑pass recommendation

Representative Healy (District 15) presented House Bill 290 to the House Health and Welfare Committee, saying the bill moves immunization requirements from administrative rule into statute and is intended as a cleanup rather than a change in policy.

"It's really pretty simple. It's just that," Healy said, summarizing the legislation's aim to move longstanding provisions from IDAPA into statute. He said specific rule citations remain in effect if the legislature decided not to move them: "We had daycare, bridal school, high school, college, etcetera... There's a rule in there stating that the Department of Health and Welfare may randomly select and visit licensed day care facilities. But that's in there. That's rule 400 in IDAPA." Healy also cited a rule regarding signed statements by parents who choose not to vaccinate as "rule 150."

Healy told the committee that putting the provisions in statute would place them under the legislature's control and avoid the Department of Health and Welfare making changes by temporary rule outside a legislative session. "By moving these into statute, we will then be back in control by the elected body," Healy said, adding that "nothing is changing" in substance but that the change aligns with other moves from rule to statute.

Representative Wheeler moved that the committee send House Bill 290 to the floor with a due‑pass recommendation. The motion carried by voice vote and the bill was reported to the floor with the committee's recommendation.