Idaho House committee approves addition of suicidal crisis assistance to Good Samaritan law

BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) — An Idaho House of Representatives committee on Wednesday approved legislation that would add assisting someone in a mental health or suicidal crisis to Idaho’s Good Samaritan laws.

The House Judiciary and Rules Committee voted 12-2 to send House Bill 491 to the floor, where it may be voted on by the entire chamber. The bill prevents a civil lawsuit from being filed against someone who stops at the scene of an emergency and, “in good faith,” tries to provide assistance, unless they are found to be “grossly negligent.” 

“It’s really saying, ‘hey,’ to the public, ‘we want you intervening,’” bill sponsor Rep. Marco Erickson, R-Idaho Falls, said.

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The bill would provide legal immunity from civil legal damages for those who intervene is scenes that include “a mental health or suicidal crisis,” and offer “emergency psychological attention, including responding to suicidal thoughts.” 

Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, asked how the bill would intersect with the parental rights law, passed by the Legislature in 2024. The law prohibits providing any treatment or medical attention to minors under the age of 18 without parental consent, except in narrow circumstances where the child’s life is immediately at risk. 

Erickson said those laws would need to be followed, and the responding person would need to contact the child’s parent. 

The state’s 988 Crisis and Suicide Hotline is affected by the 2024 law, its director told the Idaho Capital Sun previously, and can’t help minors in some situations where they can’t talk to the parent. 

Two people testified in favor of the bill at the hearing Wednesday.  

Boise resident Daniel Murphy told lawmakers that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he volunteered for the office of former Lt. Gov Janice McGeachin to take calls from people seeking help. A woman called who lost her job, and told Murphy she was contemplating suicide. 

“I was stunned and unprepared for the call,” Murphy said. “I did my best to listen.” 

He said he listened and told her about his own hardship. 

“I said she would do great things and help others as well,” he said. 

He wished he got her phone number so he could follow-up, but later signed up for a suicide intervention skills training course. He favored the bill so people could help those in need without fear of legal retribution. 

Stewart Wilder, co-founder and president of the Idaho Suicide Prevention Coalition, also spoke in favor of the bill. He noted that Wyoming passed a similar law last year.

He appreciated that it would create parity of mental health crises with physical health emergencies. 

The committee voted in favor of sending the bill to the House floor, with Reps. Dale Hawkins, Fernwood, and Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, voting no. 

Reps. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, and Ted Hill, R-Eagle, were absent.