IDAHO — Starting July 1, three new laws designed to better protect Idaho’s most vulnerable children will take effect, changing the way the state handles child welfare.

RELATED|Governor Brad Little signs Isaiah’s Law, expanding child protections in Idaho

Gov. Brad Little signed Isaiah’s Law, the Foster Child Safety Act, and Benji’s Law, a trio of legislation designed to strengthen protections for children in foster care and state custody.

“I think they’re gonna immediately help a lot of kids in Idaho. I think there’s a lot of kids that are in some really difficult situations,” foster parent Kevin Watson said.

At the center of these efforts is adoptive mother Monique Peyre, who first came to Idaho News 6 after a 12-day-old baby boy, Benjamin, was found dead in Nampa.

Benjamin’s parents, Allysen Armenta and Brian Lemke, are currently in Canyon County custody, facing charges in connection with his death.

WATCH:
Interview with the group of parents who helped pass all three bills

From tragedy to reform, advocates help pass 3 Idaho child protection laws

Peyre, who had previously adopted Benjamin’s siblings, became a driving force behind the legislative pushes.

RELATED|Governor Brad Little signs Benji’s Law to protect children from abusive parents

Alongside Peyre were foster parents Nicole and Joe Egbert, Watson, and other current foster parents. Together, they led the push to pass all three bills into law.

“We knew there was a problem. Foster parents knew there was a problem. And it’s like, how do we address it? And let’s actually try to come up with a real solution. And I think that’s what this did is it creates something that’s real and tangible that people can say we want to protect kids,” Watson said.

Senate Bill 1257, or Isaiah’s Law, inspired by Peyre’s adopted son Isaiah, strengthens protections for foster children during family visitations.

House Bill 776, Benji’s Law, created in honor of the 12-day-old Benjamin, ensures faster intervention when infants are identified as being at risk.

House Bill 724, the Foster Child Safety Act, updates guidance for caseworkers and courts, making it clearer how to protect children in foster care and state custody.

“It’s this relief and I think that was the biggest thing I felt when all three of these bills passed was just finally change,” Nicole Egbert said.

The group said one of the hardest parts of the process was testifying multiple times and facing opposition from Idaho lawmakers.

“I do believe it violates the Constitution specifically the Fourth Amendment,” Rep. Leavitt said.

“Super draining to share all the stories that we shared and um of real life children in the state of Idaho but yeah to see that push back after sharing those kinds of stories it was really hard,” Peyre said.

The group hopes their experience shows that it’s never too late to speak up and reach out to local government officials, even if you’re not familiar with legislation at first.

The group said they are taking a break for now, but hope to continue advocacy in the future.

Outside of Sen. Todd Lakey, R-Nampa, who served as the floor sponsor for the bill, debate from legislators from across the political spectrum was entirely negative. Members of both parties raised concerns the legislation would consolidate power in the state, lead to paranoia amongst public officials and employees and present a fundamentally unnecessary solution in the face of existing oversight mechanisms.

Sen. Treg Bernt, R-Meridian, said the bill would allow the state to “supersede local decision making” by “stripping communities” of their ability to manage local issues. In addition to intruding on the relationship between state and local government, Bernt said the bill would bring “unprecedented authority” and investigatory power into the attorney general’s office.

“This consolidation places critical decisions affecting freedom and democracy in the hands of a selected few, rather than dispersing power as intended in a representative government,” Bernt said. “This ship fundamentally alters the balance of power in the state of Idaho — I have grave concerns over this.”

Sen. Ali Rabe, D-Boise, questioned why the legislation was necessary with the safeguards already in place. Even in bills that lack enforcement mechanisms, Rabe underlined there are mechanisms in place to “keep our elected officials” in check, including the Idaho Bribery and Corrupt Influences Act and the Idaho Ethics in Government Act, both of which govern the conduct of public officials.

“I worry also it could put us at odds with each other and make us kind of paranoid against each other,” Rabe said. “It seems pretty easy in here to just send a referral from one elected official to another about anyone over anything. … I believe that it could potentially be abused in a lot of ways.”

Pointing to the provision of the legislation that could bar people from public office for up to five years, Sen. Josh Kohl, R-Twin Falls, said blocking individuals from seeking office puts the state on “thin ice” in maintaining constitutional protections.

“It’s just a tool of potential weaponization, and people could use this to target people they just don’t like or are feuding with. … You could imagine 1,000 scenarios where people could use this to target someone,” Sen. Brian Lenney, R-Nampa, said.

McCandless covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Idaho Press of Nampa and Coeur d’Alene Press. He may be contacted at rmccandless@idahopress.com.

BOISE, Idaho – Around 1 p.m. today, Idaho State Police responded to a disturbance involving about 12 protesters inside the Idaho Capitol building.

The group used whistles and bullhorns inside the building, then went into a restroom and blocked the door with their bodies to keep others out. Troopers gave numerous warnings about the disturbance, and the group was trespassed from the building. The group refused to leave when instructed and remained in the restroom, further disrupting the situation.

Around 2:40 p.m., troopers arrested six people for misdemeanor trespass. One person was also charged with resisting arrest.

During the arrests, one person sustained a minor injury while leaving a bathroom stall. They were taken to a local hospital for a precautionary evaluation before being booked.

All of the people involved were adults. No weapons were reported in the incident.

The Boise Police Department assisted in transporting those arrested to the Ada County Jail.

ISP supports the public’s right to protest and express their opinions. People must follow lawful orders and rules to keep everyone safe and maintain order in public buildings.