Ski patrollers on Idaho's slopes are concerned that a quirk of Idaho law might make them guilty of practicing medicine without a license when they help injured skiers, so the Senate's majority leader has introduced legislation carving out a legal exception to make sure that doesn't happen. "Under the statute defining unauthorized practice of medicine, there is a series of exceptions," said Sen. Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, an attorney. "One is if you render first aid." He said it was generally assumed ski patrollers fell under that exception, but concerns raised in recent months have prompted ski patrollers from throughout the state to contact him about the issue.

So he drafted a bill and ran it by the Idaho Medical Association and the state's hospitals. It adds an exception to specifically recognize work by ski patrollers certified by the National Ski Patrol. Today, the Senate Health & Welfare Committee agreed unanimously to introduce the bill, clearing the way for full hearings on it.