The House today killed legislation designed to require pharmacists – who last year were authorized to administer immunizations to children as young as 6 – to report the immunizations to the state’s voluntary immunization registry. Those who don’t want their information reported are allowed to opt out; that’s the current system for IRIS, the state’s Immunization Reminder Information System. The bill would have added a reporting requirement to IRIS for all providers and all immunizations except flu shots; the Idaho Medical Association, which proposed it, said that will make sure that a child’s doctor doesn’t give the youngster a duplicate shot after one’s already been given at the pharmacy.

Numerous House members objected to the bill on grounds of opposition to immunizations; data privacy; and government growth.

“As a mother of a son with autism, I see HB 91 as the slippery slope that will lead to mandatory vaccinations,” said Rep.  Dorothy Moon, R-Stanley.

Rep. Greg Chaney, R-Caldwell, objected, “It’s an opt-out system, not an opt-in system.”

 Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, said, “This isn’t just about kids, it’s about adults too. … This is a huge grab and I can’t support it.”

Rep. Christy Zito, R-Hammett, told the House, “There’s nothing, nothing more sacred than our own personal body. … This is our bodies and the bodies of our children, and it is our sacred duty to protect them and care for them, not the job of the state.”

Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, asked Rep. Marc Gibbs, R-Grace, the bill’s House sponsor, “Do you believe that this is an expansion of government?” Speaker Scott Bedke cautioned her, “That question is improper.” Scott rephrased it, asking Gibbs, “Do you believe that this is an expansion of a government agency that maybe a private business could be doing the same thing?”

Gibbs responded, “I believe it’s a function that’s currently being done by the Department of Health & Welfare. … Regardless of whether you vote for or against this bill, IRIS will still exist tomorrow and it will be housed in the Department of Health & Welfare.”

Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, spoke against the bill on cybersecurity grounds. “We should limit that information being shared as much as possible, except when absolutely necessary,” he said. “I think it is necessary for our kids because our kids are at school and that kind of thing. ... But I think for adults, I think we’re all old enough to make our own decisions and not have automatic data entered. They’re going to have to put personal identifying data in order to have that in there.”

The bill failed on a 26-44 vote. Here’s how the vote broke down:

Voting yes: Reps. Amador, Anderson, Bedke, Bell, Chew, Erpelding, Gibbs, Hixon, Horman, Kauffman, King, Kloc, Loertscher, Malek, McCrostie, Miller, Packer, Perry, Raybould, Redman, Rubel, Smith, Toone, VanOrden, Wintrow and Wood.

Voting no: Reps. Anderst, Armstrong, Barbieri, Blanksma, Boyle, Burtenshaw, Chaney, Cheatham, Clow, Collins, Crane, Dayley, DeMordaunt, Dixon, Gannon, Gestrin, Giddings, Hanks, Harris, Hartgen, Holtzclaw, Jordan, Kerby, Kingsley, Luker, Manwaring, McDonald, Mendive, Monks, Moon, Moyle, Nate, Palmer, Scott, Shepherd, Stevenson, Syme, Thompson, Troy, Trujillo, VanderWoude, Youngblood, Zito and Zollinger.