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S 1023

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2025 Regular Session Introduced by Cordell Cleare and 4 co-sponsors

Puts limits on requiring COVID-19 vaccines or other medical interventions by businesses, employers, schools, and government in Idaho, with carve-outs for federal or Medicare/Medica

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Bill Summary · S 1023

Summary — S 1023 (Idaho) — “Coronavirus Stop Idaho Medical Freedom Act” (2025)

Note: the packet provided contains mixed and inconsistent metadata (different titles, dockets, and sponsors). The bill text summarized below follows the Idaho Senate Bill No. 1023 materials included in the packet (legislative language amending Chapter 5, Title 73, Idaho Code).

Purpose and intent

S 1023 revises and renames existing Chapter 5 of Title 73 as the “Coronavirus Stop Idaho Medical Freedom Act” and amends statutes to limit when public entities, businesses, schools, employers, and ticket issuers may require COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccinations or other “medical interventions.” It includes enforcement provisions and declares an emergency/effective date.

Key provisions

  • Short title: renames chapter to “Coronavirus Stop Idaho Medical Freedom Act.”
  • Definitions:
    • “Business entity,” “coronavirus,” “coronavirus vaccination,” “foreign jurisdiction,” “school,” and “ticket issuer” are defined.
    • “Medical intervention” definition was amended to read: “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.”
  • Prohibitions on mandates:
    • Businesses may not refuse services, products, venue admission, or transportation because a person has or has not received a coronavirus vaccination or used a medical intervention.
    • Employers generally may not make coronavirus vaccination/medical intervention a condition of employment — except where required by federal law or where travel/entry to foreign jurisdictions or foreign facilities requires vaccination as the only entry means. In such foreign-travel cases the requirement must be in a written contract or conveyed at least 14 days in advance; entities receiving Medicare/Medicaid funding are exempt from this employment restriction.
    • Ticket issuers may not deny or penalize ticket holders based on vaccination/medical-intervention status.
    • Schools may not mandate medical interventions for attendance, campus entry, or employment.
    • State, county, and local governments may not require coronavirus vaccinations/medical interventions (including as condition for benefits, services, licenses, entry into public buildings, use of public transportation, or employment), unless federal law requires it. Medicare/Medicaid-funded entities may be exempt in some instances.
    • Employers and entities may not base ongoing pay/benefits differences on vaccination/medical-intervention status (one-time incentives permitted).
  • Reasonable accommodations: Existing statutory/constitutional accommodation and exemption processes remain applicable.
  • Exemptions (as amended): The prohibition does not apply when personal protective equipment or clothing is required by employers per traditional industry standards, health/safety protocols, or federal regulations (including OSHA). The amendment clarifies that such PPE exemptions do not include vaccines, mask requirements, or other interventions introduced during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
  • Enforcement: The attorney general or the county prosecuting attorney where a violation occurs may pursue enforcement and injunctive relief (language in the bill supports civil enforcement; full remedies text is partial/truncated in materials).
  • Fiscal impact: Fiscal note estimates only a minimal General Fund effect (printing/promulgation costs).

Who is affected

  • Businesses and business entities operating in Idaho (for-profit and not-for-profit)
  • Employers and employees (statewide; with carve-outs for federally required situations and Medicare/Medicaid-funded entities)
  • Schools (public, private, parochial, and postsecondary institutions)
  • Ticket issuers, patrons, and attendees of entertainment events
  • State, county, and local government entities and recipients of government benefits/services

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Limits public- and private-sector ability to require coronavirus vaccinations or other medical interventions as conditions for services, employment, or benefits, subject to federal preemption.
  • Could affect workplace health policies, school health requirements, and private entity risk mitigation strategies.
  • May generate litigation over preemption (federal requirements), scope of “medical intervention,” and enforcement actions.
  • Entities that depend on Medicare/Medicaid funding retain some flexibility under carve-outs.

Procedural status and notes

  • Introduced March 13, 2025 (per packet); referred to committee in the Idaho Legislature.
  • The bill text includes an emergency clause and an effective date.
  • Because provided materials contain inconsistent metadata (other state dockets, different sponsors), verify the bill’s current official status and final enacted language with the Idaho Legislature’s official bill tracking system before relying on this summary for legal or compliance decisions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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