A bill stating that residents of assisted living communities have the right to visits from essential caregivers is headed to the desk of Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) after unanimously passing the state House of Representatives on Thursday and unanimously passing in the state Senate earlier this month.
Little has five business days to sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature.
Senate Bill 1353 allows residents and patients of assisted living communities, group homes, nursing homes, hospitals and residential treatment centers to designate a person to be their essential caregiver. That person would be allowed to visit the individual even if a facility prohibits other visitors.
State Sen. Michelle Stennett (D-Ketchum) sponsored the bill. Rep. Laurie Lickley (R-Jerome), one of several co-sponsors, told the Idaho House that legislators supported the bill after residents and patients were unable to have family members visit them during the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Idaho Capital Sun reported.
“Many of us remember what in-person visitation was like during coronavirus; this is a piece of legislation to fix this,” Lickley said, according to the media outlet. “It allows caregivers to provide care to our loved ones when they need it most.”
Robert Vande Merwe, executive director of the Idaho Health Care Association, told McKnight’s Senior Living that the essential caregiver bill is “better than previous bills that have been introduced and failed,” but that the association “chose to stay neutral.”
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