H397: Immunization Registry

Tuesday, 2/13/24:

H397 passed out of the House last Friday 56-11-3, with all Democrats voted against. It crossed the rotunda and was referred to Senate Health & Welfare.

Tuesday, 2/6/24:

Rep. Blanksma presented H397 in House Health & Welfare on Monday. She said that the original immunization registry created in 1999 was opt-in, only to be made opt-out in 2010. Blanksma related how she declined to opt-in, deciding to handle her children’s immunization records herself, only to find her children automatically opted in after 2010. She said she was furious, and spent the next ten years reminding providers not to opt her children in.

Blanksma also told a story of her mother getting a Covid shot in 2021 and getting automatically opted in to what was supposed to be a children’s immunization database. Both adults and children were being added to a government database without their knowledge or consent.

Blanksma said that records showed that the database did not increase immunization rates.

The first testifier was a pediatrician representing Idaho Children Are Primary who argued that changing to opt in would be costly and would harm public health. “The way the medical system works is we have to collect data to allow you guys to live longer.” Several members of the committee pushed back against her testimony, with Rep. Dori Healey (a nurse by trade) pointing out that clinics are already mandated to present opt-out forms, so it would not be that much more to provide an opt-in instead.

Grace Howat of the Idaho Family Policy Center testified in favor of the bill, saying it was not the role of government to keep a statewide database of children’s medical records without express consent.

Rebecca Coyle, executive director of the American Registry Association, testified on behalf of her group that this bill would be too expensive and take too long.

Rep. Jordan Redman moved to send the bill to the House floor with a do pass recommendation. Rep. Ilana Rubel made a substitute motion to hold the bill, but that motion failed on a party line vote. The original motion passed, also on a party line vote.

Thursday, 1/18/24:

IFF has rated H397 +1.

Tuesday, 1/16/24:

Rep. Megan Blanksma introduced RS 30897 in House Health & Welfare this morning. This bill would change the Idaho immunization registry of children born in the state to opt-in rather than opt-out. The bill was approved and printed as H397.