We are excited to support a number of proactive bills that have recently been introduced. We continue to work with our legislative champions to push a bill to require insurance to cover a full year’s supply of birth control We have high hopes that this bill will finally receive a hearing this year.
Another proactive bill to update sex ed standards was introduced this week. The bill is an attempt to align sex education law with health education standards that were last updated in 2014. The current sex ed statute is almost 50 years old and is in dire need of updates. We will push for the strongest language possible to ensure that Idaho youth have access to the information they need to be healthy.
Rep. Melissa introduced a bill to improve access to sexual assault exams, a crucial tool for holding perpetrators accountable. In Idaho, victims of sexual assault currently have to pay for their own sexual assault forensic exam. It is the only place in Idaho’s criminal code where a victim has to pay for their own evidence collection. This bill will address this discrepancy and make it easier for survivors to access to care and services they need and for law enforcement to hold perpetrators accountable.
Tags: Legislative