Little vetoes license-exemption bill for rehab center

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Tuesday vetoed a bill that would have carved out an exemption allowing a northern Idaho lawmaker's faith-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation center to treat teenagers without a state license.

The Republican governor in his veto message said the measure didn't ensure protections for one of the state's most vulnerable populations.

“The safety and well being of Idaho's children is my highest priority,” he wrote.

Republican Rep. Tim Remington is pastor of The Altar Church in Coeur d'Alene and also runs the Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Center.

He wanted to treat 13- to 17-year-olds but had concerns a state license would inhibit his faith-based approach.

The measure was specifically written for his rehabilitation center as a pilot program, but Little said he was troubled the program had no end date so it could be assessed.