David Leavitt — Representative Ben Furman is introduced to the committee, identifies himself for the record, and begins presenting his bill. He makes a light joke about a prop, then continues into the bill’s purpose. Later, he responds to committee questions, explaining that physical therapists requested the change and noting that broader provider categories could be considered in the future.
David Leavitt — Representative Levitt asks to comment and question the motion, then raises constitutional concerns about enumerating rights in statute.
David Leavitt — Representative David Leavitt is referenced in the discussion, though the transcript is unclear about the exact wording, and shortly afterward his vote is recorded as 'No.'
Dori Healey — Representative Healy opens a question period on the bill and asks whether physical therapists would be permitted under the bill to diagnose, manage chronic disease, prescribe medications, and coordinate care.
Dori Healey — Questioned whether the bill is creating a bill of rights and noted she does not see that language in the bill, SOP, or title.
Dori Healey — Sought clarification and distinguished statutory rights from constitutional rights, saying the intent is to provide safety rights in statute.
Dori Healey — Said the intent is to provide statutory safety rights, not a constitutional bill of rights.
Dori Healey — Recorded as voting yes in the roll call; likely a transcription error for Representative Burgoyne.
Dori Healey — Recorded as voting yes in the roll call; likely a transcription error for Representative Burgoyne.
Dori Healey — Recorded as voting no in the roll call.
Dori Healey — Recorded as voting no in the roll call.
Rob Beiswenger — Raises questions about why the bill includes some provider types but not others.
Rob Beiswenger — Questioned whether the bill-of-rights framing is more slogan or marketing than substantive law.
Rob Beiswenger — Said the language is good but the bill-of-rights framing feels like marketing.
Rob Beiswenger — Was called on for clarification and asked about visitation rights language.
Rob Beiswenger — Representative Byswinger is briefly referenced during debate for recognizing the bill’s phrasing as more marketing language than substance, and then is recorded in the roll call as voting no. A likely transcription variant, Representative Beiswinger, is also recorded voting no.
Josh Wheeler — Makes a motion to send House Bill 754 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation.
Josh Wheeler — Asked whether House Bill 754 changes scope of practice and joked about the thermometer.
Josh Wheeler — Representative Josh Wheeler presented House Bill 724, explaining that it was brought to him by concerned foster parents and is intended to strengthen and clarify safety protections for children in foster care. He emphasized the state’s responsibility when it assumes custody of children, outlined the bill’s core protections—such as the right to a safe and healthy environment, freedom from abuse, and access to timely medical and forensic examinations—and said the measure would codify the practice of providing foster children a written list of their rights. He noted the effort was collaborative, referenced support and related work from others including former Director Alex Adams and Representative Erickson, and addressed concerns by stating the bill does not change standards for removal, reunification, or parental due process. He concluded by asking for a motion to send House Bill 724 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation.
Josh Wheeler — Representative Wheeler closes by urging a yes vote on HB 724 and offering to answer questions. He then explains that he prefers to keep the bill as written because it is narrowly focused on situations where the state is the guardian of foster children. The exchange concludes with another member thanking him for bringing the bill.
Josh Wheeler — The speaker appears to be Representative Wheeler, continuing discussion of the bill's fiscal effects.
Josh Wheeler — Representative Wheeler votes yes.
Crystal Browning — A virtual witness is identified to testify.
Crystal Brown — Crystal Brown, a small business owner and health care provider in Shelley, Idaho, testifies virtually in support of House Bill 754. She asks the committee to support and vote yes on the bill, describing it as a measure that would improve access to health care by removing bureaucratic and administrative barriers.
Jonathan Gardunia — Jonathan Gardunia was introduced as the next witness and then testified on behalf of the Idaho Physical Therapy Association regarding House Bill 754. In response to questions, he explained that the bill does not change the scope of practice and instead includes language that limits services to the scope defined in the practice act.
Sammy Ashenbrenner — Listed as a virtual witness, but the chair could not find the name on the sign-up sheet.
Sophia Crapel — Sophia Crapel is called from the testimony list for House Bill 754, but she immediately states that she is not there for that bill and clarifies she signed up to testify on a different bill.
Katie Hobble — Identified as being signed up for House Bill 759 rather than House Bill 754.
Martinez — Another witness name appears to be associated with House Bill 759 rather than House Bill 754, though the full name is unclear.
Heather Scott — Representative Healy repeatedly expressed opposition to the bill, saying she would vote no because it creates scope confusion for patients and appears to place physical therapists into a doctor-like category. She emphasized that physical therapists are not doctors, said the bill could blur professional licensing boundaries, and noted that while she personally values physical therapy, she could not support the measure.
Heather Scott — Explained that the bill-of-rights phrasing has become marketing language and began describing the drafting history of the bill.
Heather Scott — Said the bill has gone through seven or eight drafts and that the earliest version described the rights as a foster kids’ bill of rights.
Heather Scott — Explained that the department used to have a card with a written bill of rights for foster care, but that it is no longer in rules or statute and has been conflated with the current bill.
Heather Scott — Clarified that the term 'bill of rights' does not technically appear in the legislation or title, though earlier drafts used that wording.
Heather Scott — Acknowledged Representative Egbert and noted there were no further comments before stating the motion to send House Bill 724 to the amending order.
Heather Scott — Opposed the motion to send House Bill 724 to the amending order, saying the committee should focus on the children and keep the department accountable.
Heather Scott — Said Health and Welfare and the department must be accountable and stated his support for the first motion over the substitute motion.
Heather Scott — Recorded as voting no in the roll call.
Heather Scott — Will carry House Bill 724 to the floor after the motion passes.
Heather Scott — Referenced in the instruction about who will carry the bill to the floor and in the handoff to the vice chair.
Heather Scott — The chair turns the meeting over to the vice chair after concluding the House Bill 724 item.
Heather Scott — The chair announces the next agenda item and invites the bill sponsor to the podium.
Heather Scott — The chair is handing off the agenda item to the sponsor.
Heather Scott — Representative Healy asks a series of follow-up questions seeking clarification about the rate study and prior rate increases, including whether increases went to agencies or directly to care providers and whether tying funding to the study would leave providers unable to account for liability insurance or cost-of-living increases.
Heather Scott — Likely the 'favorite chairman' reference is not clearly identifiable; no confident member ID can be assigned from the text.
Jason Monks — Defended the bill as a direct primary care model that simply adds physical therapy without changing the underlying language.
Marco Erickson — Referenced as continuing to make related bills.
Marco Erickson — Vice Chairman Erickson votes aye.
Dr. Kylie Billingsley — Dr. Kylie Billingsley, a licensed child psychologist and Idaho foster parent speaking as a private citizen, testified in support of the bill’s child-safety focus. She argued that children have fundamental rights to safety and freedom from abuse, and that when the state removes a child from a home it assumes a constitutional duty to protect that child. She also said the packet includes current foster-care cases and that outcomes might have been different if judges had been given complete information.
Dr. Billingsley — Dr. Billingsley argued that HB 724 addresses the areas where children are being harmed most by creating clear guardrails and strengthening accountability. He emphasized that judges need the full picture of a child's history to make safer decisions, and he reinforced the point with emotional testimony about how tolerating unsafe foster placements allows harm to multiply in the community.