New bill would give county authority over health district mandates

A new bill introduced Thursday would give county commissioners final say over mandates imposed by Idaho’s public health districts.

Sen. Steve Vick, R-Dalton Gardens, came before the Senate Health and Welfare Committee Thursday afternoon to propose that, should a public health district — such as Panhandle Health — issue a county-wide or district-wide order, that order could not go into effect without a vote of approval from the affected counties.

The bill would also limit such mandates to 30 days, allowing room for a 30-day extension, so long as the commissioners vote to approve such an extension. The bill also asks to reduce the penalty of disobeying a public health mandate from a misdemeanor — which can technically result in jail and fines reaching $1,000 — to a citation with a maximum penalty of $50.

Vick said the inspiration behind his proposal stems from a familiar and ongoing story in North Idaho.

“The big thing that brought this up was the mask mandates,” Vick said.

Panhandle Health’s board has been grappling with a mask mandate in response to COVID-19 since May. The board voted in July to implement a mask mandate over Kootenai County, resulting in immediate protests that lingered into the fall. Amid overwhelming political pressure, the appointed board voted October 23 to rescind its mandate, only to approve a district-wide mandate on November 19.

That mandate was extended on Jan. 28 for another 90 days, much to the chagrin of 40 to 50 vocal protesters outside Panhandle Health’s Hayden office. Vick said having an elected governing body — such as a county commission — authorize or deny such a mandate would make that decision politically accountable.

“I also have hopes take some of the [pressure] where we have three, four, five hundred protesters at a health district meeting, where they’re just making a recommendation, then those protests should be in front of elected officials, where they belong.”

The bill would not alter any structural changes in the board or the health district; rather, it would simply require a sign-off.

“The health board can still can deliberate,” Vick said. “They can discuss the pros and cons, and they will bring that information to the county commissioners.”

The Health and Welfare Committee voted to send Vick’s note to print. The bill will now be given a bill number, printed and be scheduled for consideration.