The Senate has been moving briskly through a long list of House-passed bills this morning, passing them on either unanimous or near-unanimous votes and sending them to the governor’s desk. Among the bills that have passed so far are HB 620, restricting the use of public funds to advocate for or against a candidate or ballot measure, 34-0; HB 500, creating a new public records exemption for the name of the reporting party who reports child abuse, before the case has gone to court, 31-3; HB 582, raising Idaho judges’ salaries next year by roughly 3 percent; HB 586, increasing juror compensation; and HB 643, revising how funding is provided to magistrate courts, 35-0.

HB 443, Rep. Ron Nate’s bill to encourage Idaho school districts to offer optional gun-safety courses, also passed on a 35-0 unanimous vote, though many senators had questions for Senate sponsor Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, before the vote. Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, spoke in favor of the bill, saying, “Hopefully it does save lives.”

The Senate also has voted 35-0 in favor of HB 634, to require suicide awareness and prevention training for all public school personnel as part of their existing in-service training or professional development programs.  “This is a low-cost but high-impact piece of legislation,” said Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking, D-Boise, the bill’s Senate sponsor. Forty-two states already require such training, she said. “We know there is more to do, but this is a good start and I urge your aye vote.”

Other House bills that have passed the Senate so far this morning: HB 649, a “Good Samaritan” bill sponsored by Rep. Sue Chew, D-Boise, that would provide that people acting in good faith seeking medical assistance for drug-related overdoses wouldn’t be charged or prosecuted for possession of drugs or paraphernalia – if the evidence of that possession arises from the person seeking medical care. Rep. Dan Foreman, R-Moscow, spoke out against the bill; it passed, 32-1.

The Senate also voted 35-0 in favor of HB 626, to require disclosures of costs on the ballot for bond measures; and 29-4 in favor of HB 466, to add an exemption to Idaho’s minimum wage law for minor employees who work for family members or family businesses.