BOISE, Idaho — At 1:30 p.m. on Monday, the Idaho House of Representatives Committee for Local Government will hear testimony and public comment regarding the recently proposed House Bill 557 (HB-557).
Introduced by Rep. Bruce D. Skaug (R - District 10), HB-577 would prohibit local governments from adopting or enforcing anti-discrimination ordinances that go beyond what's already established by state law. As the bill is currently written, state law would preempt any local ordinances regarding cases of discrimination. The Idaho Family Policy Center, a conservative advocacy group, helped draft the proposed legislation.
WATCH LIVE: Idaho House of Representatives - Local Government Committee holds hearing for House Bill 557
Across the Gem State, more than a dozen cities and counties have local rules and protections based on sexual and gender identities. According to the ACLU, those local governments include Ada County, Boise, Ketchum, Moscow, Coeur d'Alene, Pocatello, Lewiston, Victor, Driggs, Hailey, Bellevue, Meridian, and Idaho Falls.
HB-557's sponsors claim that those ordinances create unnecessary conflicts for private business owners with strongly held religious or moral beliefs. The Idaho Family Policy Center's president, Blaine Conzatti, says that "Government officials have forced bakers, photographers, florists, graphic designers, and wedding venue operators to participate in same-sex wedding ceremonies and pride festivals."
In 2013, Coeur d'Alene passed an ordinance that prohibited for-profit businesses from discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. In 2014, following the federal legalization of same-sex marriage, that ordinance was challenged by the owners of the Hitching Post Wedding Chapel in Coeur d'Alene, who said that the ordinance forced them to go against their religious beliefs.
The City of Coeur d'Alene ultimately backed down from enforcing the ordinance, and the lawsuit challenging the ordinance was dismissed. The owners of the Hitching Post were subsequently awarded damages for business lost during litigation.
In 2023, the Supreme Court decided via 303 Creative vs. Elenis that no American should be compelled to share messages with which they disagree.
