Doug Ricks — Introduces himself and presents RS 33423.
Doug Ricks — Thanked after the motion passes.
Doug Ricks — Asks how the proposed change would affect cases.
Doug Ricks — Asked the witness whether current law is adequate or what changes she would want.
Bruce Skaug — Invited to present House Bill 518.
Bruce Skaug — Introduces himself and notes the bill passed unanimously on the House floor.
Bruce Skaug — Addressed by Senator Ricks for clarification.
Bruce Skaug — Explains that the bill would allow law enforcement referrals directly to the Attorney General's office.
Bruce Skaug — Asked Robert Gillis to assist with the bill.
Bruce Skaug — His point about the issue crossing state and county lines is echoed.
Bruce Skaug — Representative Skaug was invited to close, said he had nothing further to add but was available to answer questions, and was later thanked for his participation in committee after the vote.
Heather Scott — Representative Scott is addressed as the committee moves to testimony.
John Furby — A person signed up to testify, possibly online.
Robert Gillis — Robert Gillis appears as a witness in support of the measure and then introduces himself as being from Idaho Tough on Crime. He notes that he has testified before the committee in a prior session and says Representative Skaug asked him to assist because of his experience on the issue.
Jason Kimball — Lieutenant with the Nampa Police Department testifying in support of the bill.
Mr. Kimball — The chair thanks him for testifying after his support for the bill.
Jeannie Strohmeyer — Executive director of the Nampa Family Justice Center, testifying in support of HB 518.
Ms. Strohmeyer — She concluded her testimony in support of House Bill 518 and urged approval.
Josh Keyser — Senator Kaiser was addressed in the exchange and then moved to send House Bill 518 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
Monique — Monique is introduced as a witness who will testify later. Senator Wintrow explains that Monique reached out by call or email and shared concerns based on her experience as a foster mother, which helped inspire the bill and the issues it addresses.
Josh Wheeler — He was acknowledged as a House co-sponsor and thanked for being present.
Ilana Rubel — No direct mention in the text; no member identified here.
Gene — The speaker says Gene will explain the substantiation process in more detail.
Jean — The speaker says Jean will come up next to explain the process.
Jean Fisher — Jean Fisher is invited to speak and introduces herself, explaining that she is the division administrator for Youth Safety and Permanency at the Department of Health and Welfare, with a background as a prosecutor. The exchange begins with her discussion of balancing parental rights and child safety.
Gene Fisher — Gene Fisher is invited to testify and identifies himself as division administrator for youth safety.
Ms. Fisher — The witness is addressed directly with a question about page six, subsection B, regarding visitation and court oversight.
Christy Zito — Senator Shippey is repeatedly addressed during a discussion about who has the authority to pause visitation and make the related visitation determination, including clarification about whether that authority lies with the court or another decision-maker.
Christy Zito — Senator Foreman questions Ms. Moore about Senate Bill 1257, focusing on her concern that the bill could encourage early or unnecessary termination of parental rights. He notes that the bill includes judicial oversight and court discretion, then asks her to explain the source of her concern about the bill’s impact on parental rights.
Dr. Kylie Billingsley — Dr. Kylie Billingsley, a licensed child psychologist and current foster parent, testified in support of the bill. She explained her professional background and described how, in her experience, foster children who have suffered physical or sexual abuse can show severe trauma responses before and after required visits with abusive parents. She argued that forcing children to maintain contact with abusers is re-traumatizing and harmful to their sense of safety and development, shared examples from her foster care experience, and said her family stopped accepting long-term placements because she could not participate in a system that required sending children into harmful situations. She concluded by asking the committee to support the bill so children’s safety would be central in the foster care system.
Itha Moore — The chair identified the next online testifier as Itha Moore, but the connection was lost before the witness could speak.
Monique Pire — Monique Pire is introduced as the next witness to testify after the previous online witness disconnected, with the transition confirmed as acceptable.
Ivy Walker — Ivy Walker testified on behalf of Idaho Voices for Children about growing up in Idaho's foster care system and being forced for years to continue visits with her abuser even after the state removed her for safety. She described the trauma of sitting across from the abusive parent, being taunted and manipulated, and explained that abusive parents can use visitation to threaten or intimidate children. She then recounted a traumatic incident during a visit at the Department of Health and Welfare that ultimately helped end the visits and led to a no-contact order.
Ms. Walker — Chair thanked Walker for her testimony before moving to the next online testifier.
Ives Samantha Moore — Ives Samantha Moore testified in opposition to Senate Bill 1257 and continued her remarks by responding to prior testimony, arguing that the bill should be narrowly tailored.
Ms. Moore — Ms. Moore is introduced and then gives extended testimony opposing the bill as the wrong approach to child welfare reform. She explains her background in Idaho child welfare reform and national juvenile justice work, then speaks from her experience as a former foster child and describes family examples she believes show how the system can misclassify complex situations as abuse or neglect. She argues that hospitals and agencies still push for substantiation despite protections, says cost is being prioritized over children’s best interests, and emphasizes that families should receive services and support for reunification when safe. She closes by saying she cannot support the bill in good conscience while respecting the experiences of other witnesses.
Kevin Watson — Kevin Watson is introduced and then testifies as an Idaho foster parent of five years who has fostered 26 children. He reads an anonymous statement from another foster parent involved in a current case, describing concerns that once visitation became unsupervised, physical and verbal abuse resumed and the children suffered serious emotional harm, including one child requiring inpatient psychiatric hospitalization after a suicide attempt. His testimony concludes in support of Bill 1257.
Joe Palmer — The chair thanks Mr. Watson and Mr. Rudolph for appearing before the committee and giving testimony, and notes that there are no questions for either witness.
Jeremy Rudolph — Jeremy Rudolph is called to testify, identifies himself as a licensed Idaho foster parent since 2022, and says he is speaking on behalf of another confidential foster parent. His testimony concludes shortly afterward, and the committee thanks him before moving on to the next witness.
Anthony Henry — Anthony Henry is introduced and then begins his testimony in support of SB 1257, referencing his foster care history as part of his remarks.
Nicole Egbert — Nicole Egbert testified in support of S-1257, introducing the story of Isaiah and explaining her role as a foster and adoptive mother in Idaho. She was later identified as Joseph Egbert’s wife and as a co-foster parent who opened their home to foster children, reinforcing the family’s firsthand experience with foster care.
Isaiah — The witness tells Isaiah’s story as a continuous account of repeated trauma in foster care: Isaiah came to the home as a very young child, became physically distressed and behaviorally escalated after visits, and was later sent on an extended home visit that added more trauma. When COVID paused visits, he improved, but his case still moved toward termination, he was returned to his mother, and then Isaiah and two siblings re-entered care again in November 2022. Visits and reunification efforts resumed, but the witness emphasizes that the repeated harm cannot be undone. Isaiah is now in a permanent home, and his story is used to argue that substantiated abuse should make child safety non-negotiable.
Joseph Egbert — Joseph Egbert testified as a former foster parent, emphasizing that he was not a policy expert but was speaking from real-life experience with the consequences of the issues under discussion. His testimony was then concluded by the committee, which thanked him and indicated there were no questions.
Kyla and Noah — Joseph Egbert specifically discusses Kyla and Noah, explaining that they were placed in his home after concerns about their biological mother’s mental health and substance abuse. He describes how they were extremely fearful and shaking during a required visit, yet still had to attend it.
Monique Pire / Monique Perry — Name appears inconsistently; likely the next testifier, with the transcript later identifying Monique Perry.
Monique Perry — Adoptive mother from District 13 who testified about her children and a sibling who died in Nampa.
Nicole and Joe — Referenced as having fostered Monique Perry's son before his later re-entry into foster care.
Melissa Wintrow — Melissa Wintrow, senator for District 19 in Boise, introduced herself and presented Senate Bill 1257, describing it as a measure intended to balance parental rights with the best interests of children.
Melissa Wintrow — Senator Melissa Wintrow concludes her presentation, thanks Senator Foreman for his comments, and invites Gene/Jean Fisher to come up and testify. The subsequent remarks reference Wintrow’s earlier concerns about the department, tying the exchange together as part of the same discussion.