Todd Lakey — Representative Ayler notes that Senator Todd Lakey agreed to carry HB 773 on the Senate side, identifying him as the Senate-side sponsor for the bill.
Todd Lakey — Senator Lakey was introduced for House Bill 787, presented the bill, and asked for an aye vote while offering to answer questions. The chair then invited questions for Senator Lakey, and another senator briefly thanked him for bringing the bill before the meeting moved on to the next item.
Todd Lakey — Todd Lakey explains that he will support the motion, but only with reservations. He says his support is based on the proposal being limited in scope and certification-based rather than licensure, which he sees as a lower level of regulation. He then expands on his concerns by comparing the issue to paralegals operating with too much independence from attorneys, warning that people may overstep without realizing it. Despite not hearing the specificity he wanted, he ultimately says he will still support the motion while leaving some concerns unresolved.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Was identified as making the motion to send House Bill 773 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Senator Janie Ward-Engelking appears in a continuous committee sequence: she is first noted as seconding the motion to send House Bill 648 to the floor, then is introduced as the presenter for House Bill 790, formally introduces herself and presents the bill, and later yields the remainder of her time to Ms. Hatter.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Named as the second to the motion, though the transcript garbles her name.
Treg Bernt — Was identified as seconding the motion on House Bill 773.
Treg Bernt — Senator Bernt first asked a brief question and then questioned the bill’s sponsor about why the measure had been rejected in many other, including conservative, states and whether Idaho would be isolated by adopting it. Shortly afterward, he made a substitute motion to hold House Bill 702 in committee, which was then recorded as a motion from Senator Bernt and seconded by Senator Ruchti.
Senator Phil Hart — Presented House Bill 702 and began explaining the Uniform Commercial Code context.
Christy Zito — Senator Zito asked whether the bill would protect someone whose retirement benefits were lost after a company bankruptcy, citing a friend who worked for a manufacturing company for 45 years and then lost retirement benefits. The witness responded that the bill would not protect individuals with claims against their company's retirement program.
Mr. Jensen — Mr. Jensen is introduced as a witness and then asked by the senator to respond to concerns about the bill language, specifically the creditor priority issue raised by the sponsor's bill.
David Jensen — Introduced himself as one of Idaho's Uniform Law Commissioners and said similar legislation has been rejected in many other states.
James Ruchti — Senator Ruchti first asked Mr. Jensen to address a concern raised by the sponsor’s bill regarding creditor priority language, and the witness responded by clarifying the issue. Later in the same meeting, Senator Ruchti was identified as seconding a substitute motion, specifically the motion to hold House Bill 702 in committee.
James Ruchti — Named as the second on the motion.
James Ruchti — Senator Ruchti questioned witnesses about where the practice of architecture overlaps or conflicts with interior design, asking what the main areas of concern are and how the two professions bump up against each other.
Ms. Jensen — Thanked by the chair as the discussion on the bill’s mechanics wrapped up.
Tammy Nichols — Moved to send House Bill 702 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
Tammy Nichols — Identified as the senator with a light on and likely preparing to make a motion.
Tammy Nichols — Moves to send House Bill 648 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
Tammy Nichols — Said she has a child going through leukemia treatments and supports the bill because it would help many people.
Tammy Nichols — Moved that HB 787 be sent to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
Tammy Nichols — Made the motion to send HB 787 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
Daniel Foreman — As chair, announced the next bill after disposing of House Bill 702.
Daniel Foreman — Daniel Foreman is addressed as Chairman Foreman, then as chair he invites motions on House Bill 790 and later votes nay on the motion.
Representative Chris Bruce — Introduced himself and explained the purpose of House Bill 648, including his personal experience as a leukemia survivor.
Representative Brook Green — Introduced himself as a co-sponsor and began describing his chemotherapy experience in support of House Bill 648.
Elena Tier — Elena Tier, speaking for Susan G. Komen, testifies in support of House Bill 648. She describes her own chemotherapy experience and the burden of long infusion treatments, explaining that oral alternatives often exist but are too expensive, forcing patients to endure difficult treatment days or forgo care. She says the bill would require health plans to apply the same cost-sharing to oral chemotherapy as to IV chemotherapy, helping patients avoid large out-of-pocket costs like her own and preventing them from having to choose between treatment and affordability. She adds that many oncology drugs are becoming oral agents, that high costs cause some patients to fail to fill prescriptions, and concludes that patients should not be financially penalized based on how their cancer drugs are administered.
Sherry Baker — Sherry Baker introduces herself and explains that she is speaking during Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month. She describes her diagnosis, stem cell transplant, and the recommendation for oral maintenance chemotherapy, which would have cost about $9,000 per month. Because she could not afford that expense, she declined the oral treatment and instead sought a hospital-based option that her insurance covered better. She closes by urging support for the bill, arguing that cancer treatment should be covered equally regardless of whether it is administered orally or in a hospital.
Randy Johnson — Randy Johnson urges support for the bill, notes that he submitted written testimony, identifies himself as representing the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and says the organization supports the bill. He closes with a personal example about his sister’s multiple myeloma and an $8,000 pharmacy bill to underscore the financial burden the bill addresses.
Liz Hatter — Liz Hatter testified on behalf of the Consortium for Interior Design, Idaho in support of HB 790. She introduced herself, stated that she was presenting the bill, and explained that interior designers are trained and tested through education, experience, and examination to create safe, functional, accessible, and code-compliant spaces.
Andrew Bick — Andrew Bick is introduced as the next witness, with note that he had a prior funeral obligation but still wanted to testify. Another speaker then indicates they are also testifying on Bick’s behalf.
Terran Mitchell — Introduced himself and said he was testifying on his own behalf and on behalf of Andrew Bick.
Mr. Bick — Question directed to Bick, though Mitchell is the one responding in the transcript.
Mr. Mitchell — Questioned about where the concerns are between the professions.
Hayden Carter — The committee honors Hayden Carter for his service as a page. Hayden thanks the committee for the experience, says he originally wanted a different committee assignment but came to appreciate this one, and reflects on how observing quietly taught him about the Senate and surprised him with how peaceful and bipartisan the work often is. The committee responds with praise for his friendly personality and service, and presents him with a flag, certificate, letters of recommendation, and gifts as part of the farewell recognition.
Brian Lenney — Senator Brian Lenney asks Hayden what misconceptions he had before serving on the committee, and Hayden’s response addresses Lenney directly as part of that same discussion about misconceptions.
Brian Lenney — Identified as seconding the motion.
Brian Lenney — Senator Lenney said the bill addresses a symptom of a larger systemic problem involving PBMs, insurance consolidation, and hospitals, but he still supports it as a helpful measure for patients. He then thanked Senator Lakey for bringing the consolidation measure and expressed that he is a strong supporter of consolidation.
Jim Guthrie — He compliments Hayden for being friendly, outgoing, and personable.