by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports
The Senate passed a bill Thursday that would require licensed daycare facilities to communicate to parents the state’s existing exemptions from immunization requirements.
Bill sponsor Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, said the move mirrors a piece of 2021 legislation that requires public schools to communicate those existing vaccination exemptions to parents.
“We’re now requiring them to be provided at public schools, but we have this little bit of time between immunizations happening and getting to public schools where we want to add that full transparency,” Herndon said.
Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, and Sen. Ron Taylor, D-Hailey, voted in favor of the bill but expressed concerns about incentivizing a “gotcha” system where citizens try to catch daycare providers who aren’t providing the information, and about adding additional regulations to small businesses.
“Parental rights are extremely important,” said Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Viola. “Having parents informed of their rights is equally important.”
The bill passed the Senate unanimously and now moves to the House.
Logan Finney | Associate Producer
Logan Finney is a North Idaho native with a passion for media production and boring government meetings. He grew up skiing, hunting and hiking in the mountains of Bonner County and has maintained a lifelong interest in the state’s geography, history and politics. Logan joined the Idaho Reports team in 2020 as a legislative session intern and stayed to cover the COVID-19 pandemic. He was hired as an associate producer in 2021 and they haven’t been able to get rid of him since.
