After a couple of contentious hearings, Thursday’s discussion on the embattled WWAMI medical education program was a lovefest.

The Senate Education Committee unanimously voted to send a WWAMI bill to the Senate floor — with a promise to change its most controversial section.

For now, at least, House Bill 368 calls for cutting at least 10 taxpayer-funded medical school seats at WWAMI, a University of Washington-led partnership taking in the member states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. The proposed amendment would tone that down. Any cuts would be optional. And Idaho might even wind up adding more WWAMI seats.

All of those decisions would come later, after a State Board of Education working group develops “a medical education plan.” This would be due on Jan. 2, days before the start of the 2026 legislative session.

“I don’t think there’s any intent here to take any options off the table,” said Rep. Dustin Manwaring, R-Pocatello, one of HB 368’s sponsors.

That assurance changed the tone of the hearing, and abruptly. WWAMI alumni and students who were signed up to speak against the bill did an about-face, urging the committee to sign onto the amendments.

“We can’t afford any decrease in any type of medical education at any level,” said Derek Southwick, a WWAMI graduate and medical resident in Idaho Falls.

Speakers also took turns touting the WWAMI experience — including the opportunities for clinical training in Idaho and across the region.

“We can provide excellent medical care to Idahoans, but we also create a culture of teaching,” said Mo Ferguson, a Grangeville native who received WWAMI clinical training in McCall, and later returned to McCall to open her family medical practice.

Legislators have raised two main criticisms of WWAMI. The program has balked at adding Idaho seats, even after Idaho lawmakers passed a resolution in 2022 urging WWAMI to do so. WWAMI also was slow in signing a written statement asserting that no Idaho tax dollars go into abortion training. On Thursday, a UW medical school administrator was contrite.

“I can assure you that both won’t happen again, if given the opportunity,” Ian Goodhew told committee members.

Idaho now purchases 40 taxpayer-subsidized WWAMI seats per year, at a cost of about $7.5 million. It’s the state’s largest medical education program. Idaho also purchases 10 seats a year through the University of Utah, costing close to $3 million.

HB 368 would require Idaho to forge new agreements with unnamed partners. It calls for adding 30 medical education seats, outside WWAMI, over the next three years.

The WWAMI debate has focused Statehouse scrutiny on Idaho’s doctor shortage. Idaho ranks No. 50 in the nation for physicians per capita.

JFAC partially funds federal library grants

After previously deadlocking on the issue, budget-setting lawmakers Thursday approved half of the Idaho Commission for Libraries’ request to expand digital access in local libraries with federal dollars. 

ICL asked the Legislature to approve $2.5 million in spending on Digital Access for All Idahoans grants. The federally funded grants are designed to improve internet access and digital skills for “populations that are particularly vulnerable to digital exclusion,” according to the ICL website.

Earlier this month, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee debated whether to fund the program over concerns from conservative hardliners that it promoted diversity, equity and inclusion. 

On Thursday, JFAC advanced a compromise budget that authorizes $1.23 million in spending. 

Sen. Cindy Carlson, R-Riggins, who previously pushed to defund the program, said that the goal is “to reduce the grant money that’s coming,” and the $1.23 million is “only for operating expenditures.”

Before approving Carlson’s motion on a party-line vote, JFAC narrowly rejected Rep. Soñia Galaviz’s motion to fully fund the grants. Galaviz, D-Boise, said library leaders and patrons from across the state “implored” JFAC members to fund the program. She shared the emails with Idaho Education News. 

The Prairie River Library District in Lapwai provides “critical access to the internet, technology and digital skills training,” wrote library director Dawn Stryhas in one email. “The district is dedicated to assisting Idahoans who struggle with digital access and computer issues, from accessing online courses, filling out job applications and accessing health care and government services and a plethora of other online services.”

JFAC voted 9-11 on the motion to fully fund the grants. 

State Librarian Stephanie Bailey-White declined to comment Thursday on JFAC’s spending decisions.

The approved budget bill — which now goes to either the full House or full Senate — also attached sideboards related to: 

DEI

ICL would not be allowed to use state appropriated funds — including federal funds — on DEI activities. And each public library that receives state funds would have to report DEI-related spending to the Legislature. 

Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, questioned whether the DEI restrictions would completely block the digital access grant funding. The grants are designed to target rural communities and “underserved populations,” including seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and former prisoners. 

“Will people with disabilities, veterans, rural communities, racial minorities not be served in the libraries based on that language?”

Nobody jumped to answer Wintrow, so she directed the question at Carlson, who said the language aligns with President Donald Trump’s anti-DEI efforts and previous JFAC decisions. 

“We have a new administration that is focusing on removing diversity, equity and inclusion from education…This language has been put in other…appropriations before.”

‘Harmful’ material

The budget bill also would direct ICL to collect affidavits affirming that state libraries and school libraries are complying with “harmful” materials laws. 

The sideboard is meant to “get them to follow the law that we passed last year. House Bill 710,” Carlson said. But it appears that the appropriation language cited the wrong code. It referred to a 1972 law making it a crime to distribute “harmful” material to minors, rather than a separate section, created by HB 710, that applies to libraries. 

JFAC likely will have to correct the code reference before the bill heads to the full House or Senate.

House approves school chaplain bill

A bill that would allow public schools to host religious chaplains easily cleared the House Thursday. 

House Bill 410 would allow school districts or charter schools to hire a chaplain or invite a volunteer. 

“This isn’t the state establishing a religion,” said sponsoring Rep. Dale Hawkins, R-Fernwood. “This is about having somebody on the grounds that if someone wants to seek them out, they’re there.”

Rep. Britt Raybould, R-Rexberg, asked how the bill interacts with mandatory reporting requirements  — specifically, whether school chaplains would have to loop in parents on conversations with students. 

Hawkins responded, “I’m not an attorney, so I don’t know that I can answer you correctly.”

The House passed the bill 52-18. Nine Republicans, including Raybould, and nine Democrats opposed the bill. 

It now heads to the Senate. 

Senate approves ‘severe behavior’ enrollment bill

The Senate Thursday unanimously approved a bill that gives public school boards more flexibility to reject enrollment for students with “severe behavior issues.”

House Bill 236 was amended in the Senate, which means it now goes back to the House for a concurrence vote.