BOISE, ID – Gov. Brad Little vetoed a bill to ban Idaho businesses, local and state governments, private and public schools, and colleges and universities from requiring medical interventions, such as vaccines, treatment or medication.

Senate Bill 1023, called the Idaho Medical Freedom Act, would have banned businesses and any Idaho governments — local, county or state — from requiring medical interventions for employment, admission to venues, transportation, or providing products or services.

The bill would’ve also extended to schools in Idaho — private or public — and colleges, universities and trade schools, blocking them from requiring medical interventions for school attendance, employment, or entrance into campus or school buildings.

Little vetoed the bill Saturday — the first bill the Idaho governor has vetoed this year.

“Medical freedom is an Idaho value. However, this bill removes parents’ freedom to ensure their children stay healthy at school because it jeopardizes the ability of schools to send home sick students with highly contagious conditions including measles, lice, ringworm, pink eye, strep throat, stomach viruses, the flu, and other illnesses that disrupt families’ lives,” Little wrote in a transmittal letter explaining his veto.

This year, Little signed into law a bill to let Idaho doctors and health care entities refuse care that violates their beliefs. He cited that bill as one of several examples of his support of “true medical freedom in Idaho.”

“We are proud that Idaho already boasts the freest laws in the country when it comes to personal medical decisions, and we need to keep it that way,” Little wrote. “Parents already have enough to worry about while raising their children. They do not need government imposing more limitations on keeping children safe and healthy from contagious illnesses at school.”

Bill would’ve expanded on businesses COVID vaccine requirement ban

In 2022, Little vetoed a bill that would ban Idaho businesses from requiring COVID vaccines.

“I have been consistent in stating my belief that businesses should be left to make decisions about the management of their operations and employees with limited interference from government,” Little wrote in his transmittal letter explaining his veto.

The new broader medical intervention requirement ban the governor vetoed would have expanded on a previous Idaho law banning COVID vaccine requirements, which Little signed in 2023, despite its similarities to one he vetoed a year earlier, the Idaho Statesman reported.

This year’s broader bill — amended twice — was cosponsored by Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Moscow, and Rep. Robert Beiswenger, R-Horseshoe Bend. Health Freedom Defense Fund President and Founder Leslie Manookian wrote the bill.

Citing Idaho doctor who spread COVID disinformation, Idaho GOP chairwoman pushed for governor to sign bill

In a column published Thursday, Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon urged people to ask Little to sign the bill.

She referenced support for the bill by Dr. Ryan Cole, an Idaho pathologist whose Washington medical license has been restricted after state regulators found he shared COVID disinformation and broke medical standards by virtually prescribing ivermectin to COVID patients, against medical practice, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.

“In 2020 and 2021, it felt like the whole world had gone mad,” Moon wrote. “Many of us feared for the future of freedom in America. But this is 2025, and much has changed since those dark days. The American people sent Donald Trump back to the White House with a mandate to set things right. He, in turn, appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead Health & Human Services. Like Dr. Cole, RFK Jr. has long been skeptical of Big Pharma’s rhetoric and the government overreach that enabled it.”

Idaho Freedom Action, the lobbying arm of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, in an email alert Saturday said the governor “betrayed Idaho,” arguing Little “chose special interests” over “the interests of Idaho’s families.” The group asked supporters to send form emails to Idaho state lawmakers requesting they override the governor’s veto.

Overriding a gubernatorial veto requires two-thirds support in each chamber of the Idaho Legislature. The bill narrowly passed the Senate on a 19-14 vote, and the House passage barely cleared that two-third threshold on a 47-23 vote.

Bill allows limited medical intervention mandates

Under the bill, medical interventions include “a procedure, treatment, device, drug injection, medication, or action taken to diagnose, prevent, or cure a disease or alter the health or biological function of a person.”

Business medical intervention mandates for employment would still be allowed in a few excepted circumstances, including in certain federal travel scenarios if jobs require entry into facilities that require medical interventions, or if required by federal law.

The bill would also exempt medical intervention bans in situations where employers require “personal protection equipment, items, or clothing … based on existing traditional and accepted industry standards or federal law.” But the bill says COVID-era requirements, such as for masks or vaccines, are not exempt from the ban.

The bill would allow the Idaho attorney general or county prosecuting attorneys to enforce the law through injunctive relief, which are essentially civil court actions issued in lawsuits.

This story first appeared on Idaho Capital Sun.