Latest news with #HouseBill135
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
At least seven bills introduced during 2025 legislative session tackle immigration in Idaho
Idaho legislative leadership pose in a photo with the governor to celebrate signing House Bill 83 into law. From left to right stand Idaho State Police Lt. Colonel Fritz Zweigart, Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa; House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star; Idaho Gov. Brad Little, Senate Pro Tem Kelly Anthon, R-Burley; and Sen. Todd Lakey, R-Nampa. (Courtesy of the Idaho Office of the Governor) In February 2024, Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene, introduced a bill to prevent unauthorized immigrants from accessing publicly-funded assistance — requiring state agencies to verify immigration status for services like vaccines, prenatal and postnatal care, and food aid for children. His bill was met with bipartisan concerns that it would hurt pregnant women, mothers and their children who don't have proper immigration paperwork alike. That group of legislators voted to hold the bill in the committee, effectively killing the bill for the remainder of the 2024 legislative session. However, Redman brought the bill back in 2025 — this time as House Bill 135. It passed both legislative chambers by a wide margin, and Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed it into law on April 3. It is set to take effect July 1. Driven by the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, Idaho lawmakers have reintroduced and advanced a wave of immigration-related bills this year. Among them is House Bill 135 — one of two bills revived in 2025 that gained enough support to pass, contributing to at least seven immigration-focused bills introduced this year. Dr. Noreen Womack, a pediatrician at St. Luke's, said she believes House Bill 135 will significantly impact health care for children who come to the U.S. without proper immigration paperwork. Immunization rates are already low in Idaho, and she said this bill would exacerbate that. 'Children are completely blameless in this,' she said, noting that she serves many youth who do not have legal permission to be in the U.S. 'It was not their decision to come here.' Womack's concerns reflect similar concerns around Idaho's 2025 wave of immigration-related bills. In addition to House Bill 135, here is a rundown of the bills focused on regulating immigration in the Gem State, and where each bill stands after the Idaho Legislature's 2025 session. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE House Bill 83, another revived bill, was signed into law this year. It creates new crimes called 'illegal entry' and 'illegal reentry.' Law enforcement would only be able to convict someone of those crimes if they are suspected for a separate crime. It also creates the crime of 'trafficking a dangerous illegal alien.' The bill was signed into law by the governor on March 27, but a lawsuit from the ACLU of Idaho has temporarily blocked it from taking effect. In a press conference with reporters and legislative leadership on March 31, Little said the focus of the bill is to help the Trump administration deliver its immigration goals, while also focusing on targeting criminals. House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, said the legislation is 'a step in the right direction.' ACLU of Idaho sues state for new immigration enforcement bill just signed into law 'We're talking about individuals that are here illegally, not supposed to be here in the first place, and then they break the law,' Moyle said at the conference. 'This now gives us an opportunity to work more with the feds, and it gives us an opportunity to take the worst of the worst that are in this country illegally and send them back to where they came from and keep our community safe.' But opponents of the bill say the law would cause fear and discourage unauthorized immigrants in Idaho from reporting crimes they've witnessed or are experiencing. 'That would be counterintuitive to the intent if we made people fearful,' Little said in response to those concerns. 'Our goal is to keep everybody here safe, and that's what this piece of legislation is.' Idaho State Police Lt. Colonel Fritz Zweigart reinforced the idea that the bill is focused on targeting criminals. 'We are going to focus on the crime that's reported, not necessarily that's reporting the crime, unless they're of course involved in the criminal activity,' Zweigart said at the press conference. Still, domestic violence advocates in Idaho say these laws will prevent immigrant victims from seeking help. 'What you're going to see is reporting is going to go down because they don't want to be in trouble for reporting a crime if they do not have papers,' Teena McBride, the executive director of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center in Idaho Falls, told the Sun. 'And what you start to see is that the intensity of the violence is going to increase.' Angelica Soto, director of client care at Voices Against Violence in Twin Falls, said she has noticed growing fear among immigrant clients seeking appointments, support groups, or services like food boxes and personal care items. 'We have to get creative in some way with the clients that don't feel safe coming in person,' Soto told the Sun. The following is a list of bills introduced during the session that either failed to receive a hearing or were held in committee and did not advance. Harboring unauthorized immigrants House Bill 335 would have made it a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on how many people are involved, to help, hide or transport unauthorized immigrants. Sponsor: Rep. Dale Hawkins, R-Fernwood Status: Held in committee on March 5 Collecting students' immigration status House Bill 382 would have added immigration status and nationality to the demographic data collected by Idaho public schools, ranging from K-12 schools, higher education institutions and public career technical schools. It would have required the data to be available on the state department of education's website. Sponsors: Rep. Steve Tanner, R-Nampa; Rep. Dale Hawkins, R-Fernwood Status: It did not receive a committee hearing. Sponsors pulled the bill from the agenda the day it was set to receive a hearing because it lacked support, KTVB reported. E-Verify requirements House Bill 252 would have required all Idaho employers to use E-Verify, a program meant to check a person's legal work status. Sponsor: Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene Status: Introduced, did not receive a hearing State guest worker program House Bill 297 would have created a year-round guest worker program managed by the state. Sponsors: Rep. Britt Raybould, R-Rexburg; Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa Status: Introduced, did not receive a hearing No voting for non-citizens House Bill 94 would have required that only citizens vote in federal, state, local and public elections in Idaho. (Non-U.S. citizens are already not allowed to vote in nearly all U.S. elections, but some places outside of Idaho allow non-U.S. citizens to vote in local elections.) Sponsors: Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa Status: Introduced, did not receive a hearing SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Idaho Gov. Little signs bill blocking unauthorized immigrants from public services
Idaho Gov. Brad Little walks out of the House chamber after delivering his State of the State address on Jan. 6, 2025, at the Statehouse in Boise. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law a bill to prevent unauthorized immigrants in Idaho from accessing publicly funded assistance. Bill cosponsor Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene, has said the goal of House Bill 135 is to prioritize people who are living in the U.S. with proper authorization to access welfare benefits. Last year, Redman brought a similar bill that failed in committee. CONTACT US To receive public assistance in Idaho, state agencies are largely required to verify the lawful presence of adults applying for benefits. But Idaho law spells out exceptions for certain services, including emergency health care, immunization, communicable disease testing and treatment, prenatal and postnatal care, and food assistance for dependent children. House Bill 135 removes some of those exceptions — requiring state agencies to verify someone's immigration status for those services. Under the bill, some emergency services remain exempt from the immigration status verification requirement. The new law takes effect July 1. Democrats cast the bill as cruel. 'Have we as a society lost all respect for decency? I haven't been able to answer that one yet. I think that question remains to be answered. The second question I asked myself was, 'What would Jesus do?'' Sen. Ron Taylor, D-Hailey told the Idaho Senate. 'I answered that question. I'll be voting no.' Little signed the bill into law Wednesday, according to the governor's office legislation tracker. The Senate passed the bill on a 26-9 vote this week. The House already passed the bill on a 46-22 vote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Idaho bill will likely limit benefits for U.S. citizens, endanger health — not deter immigration
Members of the Idaho Legislature listen to the governor give his State of the State address on Jan. 6, 2025, from the House chamber at the Idaho Statehouse in Boise. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) When it comes to health, we are all connected. Health policies that impact some can ultimately affect the health of the whole community. House Bill 135, which imposes citizenship verification requirements for certain benefits like immunizations, testing for communicable diseases, prenatal care, and services like food and shelter, has passed the Idaho Legislature and now goes to the governor. Even though this bill aims to deter illegal immigration, it is just as likely to limit benefits to U.S. citizens and endanger the public's health. Idaho Legislature passes bill blocking unauthorized immigrants from public services The country is facing outbreaks of syphilis, measles and tuberculosis. If we can't screen and treat infectious diseases in our communities, we put everyone's health at risk. That's why we don't require onerous citizenship documentation for these basic activities, even as immigrants are already blocked from receiving most public benefits and health coverage. Idahoans value babies getting a healthy start in life, so we have similar exceptions for some pre- and post-natal care and nutrition programs regardless of the mom's immigration status. The citizenship verification requirements in House Bill 135 could block pregnant women from receiving services that prevent pregnancy and labor complications, as well as birth defects. This policy could have severe and long-lasting consequences for Idaho families. Some Idaho citizens may not have the required identification handy when they show up to the soup kitchen, the health department, or the mental health crisis center, so House Bill 135 would affect citizens and noncitizens alike. Under this bill, every single Idahoan receiving these services would have to jump through onerous hoops or may be blocked from services even if they are eligible. Despite health and public health professionals' warnings, over the past few years the Legislature has passed bills with adverse, unintended consequences to the health of Idahoans. This bill could be one of them. Besides the issues above, legislators must consider the potential cost of training people on citizenship verification and setting up systems to carry out this task in the various areas impacted by this bill. There is also the cost to frontline providers, who would have to deal with the added bureaucracy and the distress of having to deny services to people in need. Immigration is an issue that requires addressing, but this is not the way to do it — and certainly not a thoughtful, compassionate way to do it. House Bill 135 endangers the health of families, children and vulnerable people. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Idaho Legislature passes bill blocking unauthorized immigrants from public services
Idaho Gov. Brad Little gives his annual State of the State address on Jan. 6, 2025, on the House floor at the Statehouse in Boise. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) The Idaho Legislature passed and sent to the governor a bill to prevent unauthorized immigrants in Idaho from accessing publicly funded assistance. Bill cosponsor Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene, has said the goal of House Bill 135 is to prioritize people who are living in the U.S. with proper authorization to access welfare benefits. Last year, Redman brought a similar bill that failed in committee. To receive public assistance in Idaho, state agencies are largely required to verify the lawful presence of adults applying for benefits. But, Idaho law spells out exceptions for certain services, including emergency health care, immunization, communicable disease testing and treatment, prenatal and postnatal care, and food assistance for dependent children. House Bill 135 would remove some of those exceptions, requiring state agencies to verify someone's immigration status for access to health assistance for immunizations, communicable disease testing and treatment, prenatal and postnatal care, and food assistance for dependent children. Under the bill, some emergency services would still be exempt from the immigration status verification requirement. Another bill cosponsor, Sen. Phil Hart, R-Kellogg, told Idaho senators the bill doesn't prevent people from accessing services. 'What it does do is it would prevent the state of Idaho for paying for those. So you could still access these types of services through a nonprofit. You could pay for them yourself, or you could get somebody else to pay for them,' Hart said. 'And so the impact of the bill, from a financial standpoint, is actually fairly minimal.' The Idaho Senate passed the bill on a 26-9 vote Tuesday, with all six Senate Democrats opposing the bill, joined by three Republican senators. The House already passed the bill on a 46-22 vote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon, opposed the bill. He argued it could affect the public health of Idaho's entire population — by denying public vaccine coverage for undocumented immigrants. And he argued the bill, by denying food assistance coverage, conflicts with U.S. Supreme Court precedent that says children born in America are U.S. citizens, regardless of their parents' citizenship status. 'In this building, we take a great deal of pride in being a pro-life state, and I share in that objective,' Guthrie told senators. 'But in this case, the legislation denying prenatal care could compromise lives of the pre-born. And so I guess, unless we're becoming selective in our application of when pro-life is important, maybe that's a point to consider.' Sen. Christy Zito, R-Mountain Home, said she kept hearing the word compassion come up in debate on the bill. She argued that should come earlier. 'If I'm a mother and I have children or I'm pregnant and getting ready to have a child, why would I put my children into a position where they were in a country where I had no way to take care of them? Why would I have them in a position where I was a fugitive from the law, where I was already breaking the law by being where I am?' Zito told senators. 'I think the compassion begins long before these children are in a position where they need these services. The compassion begins with making sure that we're good with the law.' Democrats cast the bill as cruel. Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, said when lawmakers debated the issue nearly two decades ago, they were careful to ensure children wouldn't be denied services. Sen. Ron Taylor, D-Hailey, said he asked himself two questions on the bill. 'Have we as a society lost all respect for decency? I haven't been able to answer that one yet. I think that question remains to be answered. The second question I asked myself was, 'What would Jesus do?'' Taylor said. 'I answered that question. I'll be voting no.' When the bill is transmitted to Gov. Brad Little, he has five days, excluding Sundays, to decide on it. He has three options: sign it into law, allow it to become law without his signature, or veto it. If passed into law, the bill would take effect July 1. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Idaho House passes bill restricting publicly funded aid for unauthorized immigrants
Members of the Idaho House of Representatives, including Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene, and Rep. Dori Healey, R-Boise, listen to action on the House floor on March 10, 2025, at the Idaho Capitol Building in Boise. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) The Idaho House passed House Bill 135 on Monday to prevent unauthorized immigrants in Idaho from accessing publicly-funded assistance. Bill sponsor Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene, said the goal of the bill is to prioritize people who are living in the U.S. with proper authorization to access welfare benefits. Redman introduced a similar bill last year, but that bill died in the committee process. To receive public assistance in Idaho, state agencies are largely required to verify the lawful presence of adults applying for the benefits. However, exceptions exist for certain services, including emergency health care, immunization assistance, programs like soup kitchens and crisis counseling, prenatal and postnatal care, and food assistance for dependent children. But House Bill 135 would remove some of those exceptions and require agencies to verify someone's immigration status for access to health assistance for immunizations, prenatal and postnatal care, food assistance for dependent children, and services from short-term shelters such as soup kitchens and crisis counseling. Republicans and Democrats shared concerns with the bill, however, the House passed it in a 46-22 vote. 'This bill has a laser focus on taking away care from babies, pregnant women and hungry children,' Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, said in opposition to the bill. Rep. Lori McCann, R-Lewiston, also opposed the bill, saying she would not support it because it would deny children access to food. 'So if I'm volunteering in a soup kitchen, and a young mother and three little young kids come in and they're hungry, and they look at us, and we say, where are your papers? Do you have documentation that you are a U.S. citizen? And if they can't, you say, 'I'm sorry, we're going to deny you any hot meal today,'' she said. McCann said as a Christian woman, she would not turn them away and would feed them. Proponents of the bill, such as Rep. David Leavitt, R- Twin Falls, said it would be a disservice to those who are living in the U.S. with proper authorization to allow unauthorized immigrants access to these services. 'I would just like to remind everybody that the U.S. government is not a charitable organization, and tax dollars are not charitable donations,' Rep. Lucas Cayler, R-Caldwell, also said. The bill is now headed to the Senate side where it must have a committee hearing and pass the Senate floor before reaching the governor's desk. Only then can the governor choose to sign it, let it become law without his signature or veto it. If it clears the Legislature, the bill would take effect on July 1. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
