ASUI”s medical amnesty bill cleared another hurdle Tuesday when it was unanimously endorsed by the Idaho House of Representatives Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee.
ASUI Lobbyist Nate Fisher said he is excited about the outcome of the hearing, since he has been working one-on-one with committee members to answer any questions they may have.
“Now that we have the support of the Judiciary and Rules Committee, the bill will be brought to the House floor where every member can vote on it,” Fisher said. “If it is passed on the House floor, it will move onto Senate.”
He said the legislation will be heard on the House floor early next week at the latest. Fisher said if the bill is passed in the House, the Judiciary and Rules Committee in the Senate will vote on it and the process will be repeated. If the bill makes it through Senate, Fisher said it will be up to Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter to either sign it or veto it.
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ASUI Director of Policy Nick Wren traveled to Boise for the hearing, and said the unanimous approval of the bill has made him optimistic about the future of medical amnesty in Idaho. Wren said a few legislators spoke up at the hearing to provide constructive feedback on the bill.
“Specifically, Committee Representative (Patrick) McDonald said he had a few concerns about whether it would raise drinking rates or if it would affect Emergency Medical Services,” Wren said.
He said the one aspect of the hearing in particular that seemed to have an effect on the committee”s vote was UI student Seth Guyer”s testimony.
Guyer went to Boise to share a personal experience with the committee which he said would have played out differently if Idaho had had a medical amnesty law in place.
Guyer told the story of his freshmen year of college, when he waited with a sick friend for an ambulance and in turn was issued a Minor in Consumption (MIC).
“I could have avoided the whole situation by leaving, but I decided to stay since I was the only one who knew anything medical about my friend,” Guyer said.
Guyer said later, he tried to join the military, but said he did not qualify for the job he wanted because the diversion program mandated for individuals with an MIC required that he go to counseling sessions.
He said standing in front of a committee who essentially makes or breaks laws was intimidating at first, but he believes his story swayed a couple legislators.
“Medical amnesty would have helped me out a lot. I perceived the situation as I was trying to do the right thing and I was still penalized,” Guyer said. “People are still affected by it even if it isn”t on your record.”
Wren said Guyer”s testimony likely helped legislators see the benefits of medical amnesty from a student”s perspective.
“I”m not going to say it swayed the vote, but it definitely helped,” Wren said. “This was a huge stepping stone for medical amnesty. I like our odds.”
Jessica Gee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JessicaC_Gee