Idaho
Idaho bill that would require children to opt in to vaccine registry heads to House floor – Idaho Capital Sun
Idaho legislators advanced a bill on Monday that would require parents to opt in to the state’s vaccine registry, rather than Idaho’s existing policy that lets them to opt their children out.
Legislators on Idaho’s House Health and Welfare Committee on Monday advanced a bill that would require medical providers to only share the vaccination status of Idaho kids in a state-run database if their parents or caregivers say so.
Currently, Idaho’s immunization database, called the Immunization Reminder Information System, lets patients not be part of the database by opting out. If passed, the bill would take effect July 1, 2024.
Some health care professionals said the switch could leave Idaho medical offices with millions more in administrative costs.
Idaho’s children immunization rates, which have been among the lowest in the nation for years, fell in recent years as more people opted out of vaccines required for school, Idaho Education News reported last fall. Before the pandemic, 86.5% of Idaho kindergartners, first- and seventh-grade students were vaccinated. By 2021-22, only 80.2% were, Idaho EdNews reported.
House Majority Leader Megan Blanksma, R-Hammett, who is sponsoring House Bill 397, said she worried that Idahoans vaccination data — including for adults — is in Idaho’s vaccine database without them knowing. She referenced own experience finding out that her children’s and mother’s vaccine records were in the state database without their permission, after she opted out for her children. She also said Idaho’s vaccine database originally was “opt in” based.
As she closed debate on her bill, Blanksma said many Idahoans who received vaccines “don’t know that the government was collecting your data on that vaccine” because they weren’t given an informed consent form.
“That’s what should scare us more than anything else … that there’s data collection that people don’t know about, are completely unaware of. And that’s what this bill fixes,” Blanksma said. “It makes sure everyone knows where their medical data is going.”
Blanksma also said in the hearing that Idaho’s opt-out rate was low because it is difficult to opt out, and the bill would ensure that medical “providers don’t opt you in.”
“It’s become more complicated, and less transparent,” she said. “… Anytime the government is collecting your data, it should be transparent.”
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How would the opt-in changes affect medical providers?
The change should not require more state and federal funds, the bill’s fiscal note estimates. Blanksma also told the committee that she doesn’t expect increased costs for providers. She said under Idaho’s current opt-in model, “they are already providing the data to the government.”
But Rebecca Coyle, who said she was an expert on immunization registries, said if you assume that this would cost $10,000 to update each system, it’d cost over $10 million across the more than 1,000 clinics connected to Idaho’s vaccine registry. The medical system today is built for an “opt-out system,” she said, and adding consent files to those systems would be costly.
“It’s going to push a cost over $10 million in costs back to citizens of this state,” Coyle said, “for fewer than 1,000 people who have opted out since 2010.”
Many rural clinics would likely “fail to comply” with the bill because of the high costs of changing the reporting system, said Dr. Cristina Abuchaibe, a doctor in eastern Idaho who represented the Idaho chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“In order for every single potential patient to be given the choice, it will require extra staff and it will require fancier electronic medical record systems. To be perfectly honest with you, the rural areas don’t have the capacity to support,” Abuchaibe testified. “We’re barely surviving now with a lot of the physicians also doing a lot of the staff work and working as a team to be able to keep up.”
Idaho Family Policy Center Policy Associate Grace Howat, the only member of the public to testify in support of the bill Monday, said Idaho’s current opt-out practice “intrudes on the privacy of Idaho parents and intrudes on parental rights.”
“Parents are responsible for raising their children, not the state,” Howat testified.
Heather Gagliano, an Idaho mom and registered nurse, testified against the bill. She said she’s been fully informed of her rights to participate in Idaho’s vaccine registry for her two children over the years.
And as a public health professional who’s given thousands of vaccines, she said she’s seen the benefits of Idaho’s vaccine system’s ease of use for medical providers. But when kids immunization records are incomplete, or hand-written and often illegible, she has to delay care, Gagliano said.
Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d’Alene, made a motion that the committee send the bill to the House floor and recommend that it pass. Only the committee’s three Democrats opposed the vote, after a failed motion by House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, to hold the bill in committee.
House Bill 397 now heads to the House floor, where lawmakers could debate it before sending it through to the Idaho Senate.
What is the Immunization Reminder Information System, or IRIS?
Idaho’s IRIS system is similar to those used by other states. It helps health care providers remind people when they, or their children, are due for vaccines. Child care providers can access it to verify a child’s vaccine status. It also maintains a record so that, for example, a patient with a short memory doesn’t get a tetanus booster shot every year.
The records are stored securely and made accessible only to health care providers, child care providers and schools. Individual patients also can request their own records, or opt to have their records excluded from IRIS.
Idaho Republican leadership sent a letter to former Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden in 2021 accusing the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare of unlawfully using the state’s vaccine-record keeping system, calling for the agency to destroy its records on adult immunizations. An attorney for the Idaho Office of the Attorney General replied later that year that the department wasn’t unlawfully using the system and that lawmakers were wrong.
Idaho
Woman sentenced to prison for role in Idaho Falls hotel prostitution business – East Idaho News
IDAHO FALLS — A 62-year-old woman was sentenced to prison for prostitution trafficking on Friday following an intense hearing.
Seventh District Judge Brendon Taylor sentenced Xue Fang Lu to five years fixed and 15 years indeterminate, meaning she could spend up to 20 years in prison. She will receive credit for the 252 days she has already served.
RELATED | New details in local prostitution case; charges temporarily dropped for former cop accused of human trafficking
Following a five-day jury trial, a jury on March 6 found Lu guilty of felony interstate trafficking of prostitution and felony procurement of prostitution related to an illegal massage business that was operated out of the Fairbridge Inn in Idaho Falls, from March to May 2024.
All of the charges will run concurrently.
The sentencing
During Friday’s hearing, as in many past hearings in this case, Lu demonstrated confusion and frustration with the court process. She continually interrupted other participants in the hearing, despite being repeatedly told to remain quiet by her defense attorney, Sean Bartholick, and the judge.
At one point, Lu held up a written sign to the camera and the gallery that read: “Double Jeopardy.” She argued through her court-appointed interpreter that she was a victim of being punished for the same crime twice.
According to Cornell Law, double jeopardy is defined as “being prosecuted twice for the same crime.”
In November 2024, Lu and her alleged former partner in the crime, Gordon Dennis Shaw, had their charges temporarily delayed due to Shaw becoming ill and unable to participate in court proceedings, according to Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal.
Shaw, an 82-year-old former Idaho Falls police officer, later had all of the charges against him dropped.
RELATED | New details in local prostitution case; charges temporarily dropped for former cop accused of human trafficking
Shaw later testified in Lu’s trial but was never again charged. According to Neal, Shaw is elderly and unable to understand the court process.
After resuming her court proceedings, Lu was put on trial in September 2025, a process that ended in a hung jury when the jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. A new trial was held in March, when a different jury unanimously found her guilty.
During the sentencing hearing, Taylor explained this to Lu multiple times, reiterating that she has been charged in only one case in Idaho.
Prosecution’s arguments
Neal argued that Lu should be sentenced to six years in prison fixed, and 18 years indeterminate due to the depravity of her crime and the horrific circumstances that she put the victim through.
According to Neal, Lu texted the victim about an arrangement for sex in which the customers were charged extra if they preferred to have unprotected sex.
“There’s actually a discussion of an arrangement for sex which included that the individual was paying more so that he would not have to wear a condom,” Neal said. “One of the texts between Ms. Lu and the victim in this case stated that, explaining that the sex was so severe, that she had been (expletive) hacked to death for $150.”
Neal says the victim in the case was convinced by Lu to come from California to Idaho, a place where she didn’t know anybody, and stay in the hotel at all hours, only leaving to be taken to Walmart to buy food.
“She was basically in an area that she knew no one. She had no support. She had no family or friends, and she had basically no money,” said Neal. “In addition to the victim, Ms. Lu was involving an 82-year-old man who, at the time, it appears was being taken advantage of by several individuals.”
Neal argued that Shaw was being taken advantage of due to his age, stating that Lu used him to contact the victim instead of doing it herself and to limit her “exposure.”
Bartholick objected to this claim, stating that Shaw was in good enough health that he testified for the prosecution during Lu’s trial.
“The state doesn’t get to have it both ways,” Bartholick said. “You can’t go to trial and present this persona as a source of evidence, and try to use it to get a conviction, and then show up at (sentencing) and somehow claim he’s a victim as well.”
RELATED | Former Idaho Falls cop charged with human trafficking and prostitution
Defense’s arguments
Bartholick argued that his client should be sentenced to probation or a retained jurisdiction, also known as a rider, due to her minimal prior criminal history and multiple issues throughout the case, including that Shaw’s charges were dropped and Lu’s were not.
“We have a clear case of selective prosecution, where the state wants to argue some outrage when Mr. Shaw was charged, and cases against him were dismissed,” said Bartholick. “You have a defendant that’s 62 years old with one single misdemeanor, and then you have a case where clearly there was at least an alleged co-conspirator.”
At sentencing, Bartholick and Neal repeatedly made slighting remarks toward each other, instigated by Bartholick, who taunted Neal about his recent election loss in the Idaho Primary for District 7 Judge.
At one point, the prosecutor and defense attorney were arguing over the credibility of a witness, and Neal stated that the questioning had “gone far enough.”
Bartholick responded that it’s “not your call.”
Neal said, “It’s not your witness.”
Bartholick retorted with, “It’s my objection.” He then told Neal, “You’re only 30% correct,” apparently referencing the recent election in which Neal received 30% of the vote for the judgeship. Neal’s opponent, District Judge Steven Boyce, won with 70% of the vote.
Taylor asked the two to stop the personal comments and attacks multiple times during the hearing.
Lu’s statement
Before Taylor made his ruling, Lu provided a statement to the court through an interpreter, repeating her concerns about double jeopardy, her current and past attorneys, and her arrest.
“I am innocent and a law-abiding person,” Lu said through the interpreter. “(The police) didn’t read me my rights; they didn’t have a search warrant.”
Lu also told the court that she was in a relationship with Shaw and that she was having trouble finding a job.
“Dennis and I loved each other at the time,” said Lu through an interpreter. “We often had a video call with my mom. In those video calls, my mom told us, ‘You need to take care of each other.’”
The ruling
Taylor told the court he believed the prosecution had successfully shown the evidence of the crimes and that the only answer was to sentence Lu to prison.
“The state put on sufficient evidence to show that Ms. Lu contacted the victim in California and assisted the victim in coming to the state of Idaho for the purpose of performing acts of prostitution,” Taylor said. “This is a victim-based crime that certainly puts the individual engaging in prostitution at substantial risk.”
Based on her prior court conduct, Lu was physically removed from the courtroom by multiple deputies.
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BOISE, Idaho — Sixteen years ago, Drew Whalin’s dog got bitten by a rattlesnake, and ever since, Drew and the Idaho Chukar Foundation have put together training to help dogs and their owners avoid dangerous animals in Idaho.
“I never wanted to go through my dog getting bit by a rattlesnake again,” said Whalin. “The good news is the rattlesnakes we have here are the least toxic, but the bad news is we have more of them.”
WATCH | See these dogs react to real snakes during a training session—
Idaho Chukar Foundation hosts rattlesnake, skunk and porcupine avoidance training
The Idaho Chukar Foundation hosted its first avoidance training in Julia Davis Park, inviting dog owners to bring out their pooches to learn how to avoid rattlesnakes, skunks, and porcupines using a specific method.
“We do that by using a science that is called operant conditioning,” Whalin explained. “We associate a mild shock stimulation with the dog recognizing the snake and then having the dog owner praise the dog, so it is twofold.”
The foundation uses real snakes during the training sessions, and by the end, the dogs were improving at recognizing the snake and avoiding it.
The Arguedas family brought their dog Banjo, and they appreciate this public service.
“It would be horrible to have your dog bit or have something happen,” said Gretchen Arguedas. “We have been really thankful to have this over multiple hunting dog seasons, and with multiple dogs. Its been a nice insurance policy that we can get outside and feel safe.”
The skunk and porcupine training uses the same method, and the training also featured a booth with the Idaho Trappers Association, which gave dog owners tips on how to get their dog loose from a trap.
The event also included information on rattlesnake ecology, how important it is to have a plan, and what to do in case your dog gets bitten. Funds raised from the training will be used by the Idaho Chukar Association to improve wildlife habitat in Idaho.
If this piques your interest, the Idaho Chukar Foundation is offering additional training days at Julia Davis Park next Saturday, June 6. For additional event information, click here.
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The park, which today spans 4,800 acres was made possible in part through the Recreation & Public Purposes Act, which allowed the agency to sell public lands to state and local governments for recreational purposes.
The state park system expanded precipitously in the decades that followed, and today spans 28 state parks, 60,000 acres of land and 2,500 overnight campsites, far from the “embarrassment” Heyburn had once anticipated. It was less than two decades ago, however, the state was considering pulling back on some of its established public sites that had been frequented for decades.
In 2009, when the state was in the throes of the Great Recession, IDPR was at one point being considered to be parted out to other agencies. At the time, Just joined former IDPR director Yvonne Farrell to form the Friends of Idaho State Parks and garner support for the state’s park system — the agency ultimately survived the economic downturn, but not without a more than 80% cut to it budget, Just said.
Engagement in the parks has continued to be elevated since the COVID-19 pandemic, after people in Idaho and across the country were itching to get outside their homes and into the outdoors. In 2020, a record 7.6 million people visited Idaho state parks and IDPR has reported an average of 7.1 million visitors between 2020-2023.
While serving as a senator on the Idaho Legislature in 2023, Just served as a bill sponsor for an $100 million expansion of IDPR’s budget — the largest in state history, This was followed in 2024 with an allocation of $20 million in funds for deferred maintenance at state parks.
“COVID frankly showed us how much people love the state parks,” Just said. “When they were stuck at home, they got out in the fresh air where they could enjoy themselves and just inundated state parks. Not just here, but everywhere.”
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.
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