Little vetoes HB 340a, bill to give special exemption to unlicensed teen treatment program

Gov. Brad Little has issued his 6th veto of this year's legislative session, rejecting HB 340a, the bill that sought to allow North Idaho pastor and current state Rep. Tim Remington to run a youth residential drug treatment program without a state license. Remington ran such a program several years ago, but closed it after a complaint to the state Department of Health & Welfare; he maintains he doesn't want his faith-based program to be state-licensed. The bill would have allowed it as a "pilot program."

In his veto message, Little wrote, "My time as governor has been marked by reducing administrative red tape while protecting the health and safety of Idahoans. The safety and well being of Idaho's children is my highest priority. This legislation does not adequately ensure protections for one of our most vulnerable populations -- adolescents seeking treatment for substance use disorders. Additionally, I am troubled to implement a pilot program that has no sunset period in place for proper assessment."

Not mentioned in the veto message was Remington's open defiance of Little's statewide coronavirus stay-at-home order; Remington on Sunday held in-person services at his Coeur d'Alene church and sermonized against the governor's order. HB 340a, on which Remington abstained from debating or voting when it came up for a vote in the full House after declaring a conflict of interest, drew opposition from an array of juvenile treatment advocates who said it set a dangerous precedent for the state.