Melissa Wintrow — She asks for clarification on the prior authorization process.
Melissa Wintrow — Representative Wheeler addresses her question about prior authorization.
Melissa Wintrow — She asks a follow-up question about whether delayed care can also increase costs.
Melissa Wintrow — Asks whether delayed care due to prior authorization can also increase costs.
Melissa Wintrow — Senator Wintrow is recognized during the hearing, thanks the witness and Representative Wheeler for coming forward, and offers a brief question/comment in support of the discussion.
Josh Keyser — Senator Josh Keyser is referenced as the seconder on a motion to approve the February 12, 2026 minutes, and then he speaks to move approval of the February 17, 2026 minutes.
Josh Keyser — Listed among the members voting no.
Camille Blaylock — Camille Blaylock first moved to approve the minutes from February 16, 2026. Later, during the House Bill 593 presentation, she asked for a motion and then moved to send the bill to the floor with a due pass recommendation, speaking to her motion as the bill’s changes were praised and the measure was advanced.
Camille Blaylock — Senator Camille Blaylock was repeatedly referenced as supporting House Bill 714: she seconded the motion to send it to the floor with a due pass recommendation, was noted as a key supporter on the Senate side, and was said to favor the pilot-program concept while suggesting sunset language.
Camille Blaylock — Senator Blaylock is recognized to make a motion.
Glenneda Zuiderveld — The speaker appears to be Senator Carrie Semmelroth, but the name is not in the expected member list and is therefore treated as an uncertain witness/member mention.
Glenneda Zuiderveld — Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld explains that the fiscal note does not show a significant impact and states that she will not support the motion.
Glenneda Zuiderveld — The chair refers to Senator Kaiser, likely a transcription error for Senator Zuiderveld or another senator; context indicates a motion was made by a senator in committee.
the nonprofit that this council eventually turned into — Testified and asked that the code be kept as a historical record.
Brandon Shippy — Named as the second on the motion.
Brandon Shippy — Seconded the motion to send House Bill 593 to the Senate floor.
Brandon Shippy — Mentioned in the prior context as the second on the motion to send House Bill 714 to the floor.
Brandon Shippy — Representative Josh Wheeler introduces himself as the sponsor of House Bill 788 for District 35 and explains that the bill was developed from conversations with medical providers and constituents to reduce administrative burdens on professionals who supervise medical students. During committee questions, he addresses why the bill uses a cap of 100, describing it as a practical, somewhat arbitrary pilot-program limit. He also explains that prior authorization is not defined in the bill itself because it is defined elsewhere in statute, and he gives examples of how prior authorization and step therapy can create burdens for providers and patients.
Brandon Shippy — Representative Wheeler is addressed, but the speaker name is not in the expected list; context indicates the bill sponsor is Representative Wheeler.
Brandon Shippy — The chair corrects the second on the motion to Senator Shippy and apologizes to Brandon.
Carl Bjerke — The speaker appears to call on Senator Bjerke to come up.
Carl Bjerke — The speaker twice refers to Senator Bjerke/Bjurke in the same brief remark, saying they hope to be even half as thoroughly prepared as she is with her remarks.
Carl Bjerke — Senator Carl Bjerke is referenced in a brief exchange about whether providers were consulted, with the discussion centered on his question and the response acknowledging it.
Roy E. Agurran — Roy E. Agurran, a lawyer and lobbyist representing Republic Services, introduces himself and his client, then states Republic Services’ support for the bill and urges the committee to send it to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
Melinda Merrill — Identified as Roy E. Agurran's business partner who participated in the DEQ process.
Natalie Walker — Natalie Walker, chief of the Hazardous Waste Bureau at the Department of Environmental Quality, explains that the legislation is essentially the same as a bill DEQ prepared last spring and later advanced by Republic Services. She describes it as a protective hazardous waste facility siting act designed to safeguard public health and the environment by evaluating the location of new treatment, storage, or disposal facilities, allowing public concerns to be heard, relying on an expert panel to review risks and benefits, and enabling the panel to recommend license conditions to mitigate local concerns.
Mark Harris — Mark Harris moves to send House Bill 714 to the Senate floor with a due pass recommendation, then participates in the ensuing discussion by asking about the bill and specifically questioning where the cap of 100 professionals per year came from.
Mark Harris — Not mentioned in this section.
Fred Burmbaum — Identified as an online testifier and greeted by the committee.
Fred Burndown — Testifies in opposition to House Bill 78 on behalf of the Idaho Freedom Foundation and argues prior authorization is a useful check and balance.
Mr. Wernbaum — Committee asks whether there are questions for the witness, using a variant of his name.
Mr. Burnbaum — His concerns are summarized as speculative worries about increased costs and physician behavior.
Dr. Kylie Billingsley — Dr. Kylie Billingsley introduces herself as a child psychologist with neuropsychological assessment experience, a foster parent, and a self-represented witness. She then argues that children in state custody have a fundamental right to safety and freedom from abuse, and she supports the bill because of serious failures in foster care, describing disturbing cases of children being returned to dangerous homes.
Ms. Billingsley — Ms. Billingsley’s stories were described as a thick packet, and the committee noted that the packet was emailed to every member with a note that it was part of the testimony for the day.
Monique Perry — Monique Perry, an adoptive mother from District 13, testified that her child had severe medical problems and that court-ordered visitation appeared to trigger breathing issues and asthma flare-ups, including exposure concerns such as cigarette smoke. She said she repeatedly reported the problems to the social worker, guardian ad litem, and department, and pleaded for visitation to be excused because the child was struggling and was hospitalized repeatedly. Perry explained that it took more than a year of documentation, physician letters, and video evidence before the court finally suspended visits for 30 days, after which the child improved. She concluded that children’s rights and safety are not always given equal weight and that action should not take so long when a child’s safety is at risk.
Lindsay Wright — Lindsay Wright introduced herself and said she would summarize two anonymous accounts involving the same family and case. She described a troubling pattern of repeated abuse, child removal, reunification, and ongoing risk to the children. She noted that records showed more than 20 child protection reports involving the mother for abuse, neglect, drug use, and mental health concerns, and that later developments involving twins led to a change in the case plan toward termination of parental rights. She concluded that reunification decisions were made without the full historical record and argued that judges need complete background information to make safer decisions.
Kevin Watson — Identified himself as a current foster parent and former foster youth, testifying in support of House Bill 724.
Jeremy Rudolph — Identified himself as a licensed foster parent in Idaho and began testimony in support of the bill.
Mr. Rudolph — Referenced as a foster parent who has celebrated multiple reunifications.
Tina Day — Tina Day identifies herself as the witness's grandmother and adopted mother.
Amory Day — The child witness is identified as Amory Day, with some uncertainty in the transcript.
Brian Lenney — The chair initially says Senator Lenney as the second on the motion, then corrects to Senator Shippy.
Melissa Wintrow — Melissa Wintrow moved to approve the minutes from February 12, 2026, and was noted as the mover of that motion.
Melissa Wintrow — Senator Melissa Wintrow questions DEQ staff, asking whether DEQ representatives are present and requesting Ms. Walker’s perspective on the bill. She follows up by asking how the proposal addresses hazardous waste concerns, ensures safety and public health, and what remains to be done in the regulatory process, including the role of public input.
Melissa Wintrow — Senator Wintrow is identified as the next questioner.
Melissa Wintrow — She asks Wheeler to define prior authorization and notes she cannot see the bill text clearly.
Julie VanOrden — The chair was excused because she was in another meeting presenting a bill.
Julie VanOrden — Julie VanOrden addresses the chair during a procedural exchange, thanking her, noting that a motion is in order, and asking whether there is discussion on the motion.