By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports
The House State Affairs Committee on Wednesday moved forward an anti-abortion bill that would add an amendment to penalize local governments that state they will not comply with abortion law.
HB 2, sponsored by Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, moved through with only one person testifying in opposition. The bill received two no votes, both from Democrats on the committee.
The bill states that any mayor, council, board of commissioners, or other city or county governing body may not issue an ordinance, resolution, executive order, or proclamation directing or refusing to enforce provisions of any Idaho criminal abortion statutes. If it does, the state tax commission would withhold sales and tax revenue from the state.
Blaine Conzatti, president of the Idaho Family Policy Center, testified in support of the bill.
“When a city or a county declares itself to be a sanctuary city, it sows anarchy into our system of government by directly contradicting the will of the people, as expressed through the legislative process,” Conzatti told legislators.
The only person to testify against the bill opposed the state telling municipalities what they could or could not do.
Boise is the only city in the state to publicly pass a resolution stating it will not prioritize enforcing Idaho abortion law.
The resolution, passed in July by Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and the City Council, states the city will not prioritize investigations for the purpose of prosecuting abortion providers, and the city will not use funds to assist in furthering any civil actions.
Should the bill pass, cities would have 180 days to rescind any resolutions before losing tax revenue.
The bill now moves to the full House of Representatives.
Ruth Brown | Producer
Ruth Brown grew up in South Dakota and her first job out of college was covering the South Dakota Legislature. She’s since moved on to Idaho lawmakers. Brown spent 10 years working in print journalism, including newspapers such as the Idaho Statesman and Idaho Press, where she’s covered everything from the correctional system to health care issues. She joined Idaho Reports in 2021 and looks forward to telling stories about how state policy can impact the lives of regular Idahoans.
