Batt Vetoes Regulation For Alternate Medicine

Gov. Phil Batt on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have registered practitioners of alternate medicine like acupuncturists, herbalists and naturopaths.

The Senate attempted to override the veto, but was only able to summon 15 of the necessary 24 votes.

“It’s a difficult subject to regulate,” Batt said. “Maybe they can come back with something better.”

In his veto message, Batt wrote, “Depending on one’s point of view, this bill either goes too far or does not go far enough.”

Supporters of the bill argued on the Senate floor Thursday that a third of Idahoans use alternate forms of health care, which Idaho now doesn’t regulate at all.

Referring to acupuncturists, Sen. Mel Richardson, R-Idaho Falls, said, “They don’t know which ones have been trained, and which ones bought a set of needles.”

The bill would have required acupuncturists, herbal therapists, naturopaths, homeopaths and massage therapists to register with the state and disclose their training. Their registration could be revoked for practicing outside their area of training.

But opponents said that didn’t go far enough to protect the public.

In the vote to override the veto, North Idaho Sens. Gordon Crow, R-Hayden; Mary Lou Reed, D-Coeur d’Alene, and Tim Tucker, D-Porthill, voted yes. Opposing the override attempt were Sens. Clyde Boatright, R-Rathdrum, and Marguerite McLaughlin, D-Orofino.

The Senate also failed Thursday to override another veto, this one of a bill by Sen. Clint Stennett to allow counties to grant disabled or elderly people an additional property tax exemption. That bill, like the other one, had easily passed both houses of the Legislature.

Stennett, D-Ketchum, contended that the governor’s veto was retribution for Stennett’s outspoken opposition to Batt’s deal with the federal government on nuclear waste. , DataTimes