by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports

The Idaho Senate approved a bill Wednesday that establishes a new panel for studying maternal deaths in the state.

“This expired about a year ago, and so we are the only state in the nation that does not have a process for reviewing why mothers die in Idaho,” said Senate Minority Leader Abby Lee, R-Fruitland.

The previous Maternal Mortality Review Committee was organized in 2019 under the Department of Health and Welfare but allowed to expire on July 1, 2023.

“In a state that is pro-life, pro-mothers, pro-families, I think that this deserves some attention,” Lee said. “What you have in front of you is a complete redesign of this, and it is now underneath the Board of Medicine to allow them to build a system that is uniquely Idaho.”

House sponsor Rep. Megan Blanksma, R-Hammett, previously explained that House Bill 399 was specifically drafted to create the new maternal mortality panel under a different entity than IDHW.

“Just because every other state has it, doesn’t mean we have to,” Lee said. “But I would ask you to ask yourself, why shouldn’t we?”

The bill heard no debate, but Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, stood to explain her vote.

“I have concern with some of the lack of specificity in the bill to direct certain things for the committee, but under the Board of Medicine I’m going to trust they have the authority to actually subpoena and get these records,” Wintrow said.

The bill passed the Senate in a 25-10 vote with several more conservative members and the Idaho Freedom Caucus voting against. The bill now moves to the governor’s desk for his signature or veto.

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HB 399 – PASSED SENATE

AYE (25) – Adams, Anthon, Bernt, Bjerke, Burtenshaw, Cook, Den Hartog, Grow, Guthrie, Harris, Hartgen, Just, Lakey, Lee, Lent, Rabe, Ricks, Ruchti, Schroeder, Semmelroth, Taylor, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Winder, Wintrow

NAY (10) – Carlson, Foreman, Hart, Herndon, Lenney, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Toews, Trakel, Zuiderveld

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