Amends existing law to revise a definition.
House Bill 89 amends Idaho’s nursing statutes by revising the statutory definition of “licensed practical nurse” in Section 54-1402, Idaho Code. The bill updates the description of what an LPN does under the direction of a registered nurse, advanced practice registered nurse, physician, or dentist, including delegated assessments, participation in care planning, implementation of care, medication administration, maintenance of safe nursing care, evaluation of interventions, and delegation of certain nursing tasks. It also retains and restates the broader definitions for registered nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, nursing education programs, and the practice of nursing.
The bill is primarily a definitional and technical update rather than a major policy change. It clarifies statutory language governing nursing roles and scope of practice, which can affect how the Board of Nursing interprets and enforces professional standards, how nursing education and employers understand role boundaries, and how nurses are described in Idaho law. The bill includes an emergency clause and takes effect on July 1, 2025.
HB 89 amends Section 54-1402 of the Idaho Code, the definitions section for the state’s nursing chapter. Its legal effect is to revise the statutory definition of licensed practical nurse and restate related nursing definitions, which may influence board rules, licensure administration, and scope-of-practice interpretation for LPNs, RNs, APRNs, and nursing employers. Because the bill is definitional, it does not appear to create new licensing categories or expand substantive authority beyond existing board-defined practice parameters.
The available voting history shows strong, unanimous support in both chambers: 69-0 in the House and 34-0 in the Senate. No committee transcripts were provided, but the absence of recorded opposition and the unanimous floor votes suggest the bill was viewed as a routine, noncontroversial update to nursing law. The emergency clause and effective date indicate an intent to implement the definitional changes promptly.
No notable contention is evident in the available record. The bill appears to have been treated as a technical clarification of nursing definitions rather than a disputed policy change. If any issue were to arise, it would likely concern the precise wording of LPN duties and how those definitions interact with Board of Nursing rules, delegation, and scope-of-practice boundaries, but no opposition or debate is reflected in the provided materials.