Bill Description: House Concurrent Resolution 29 would instruct government entities to accept a series of claims regarding psychological issues and to implement related "interventions and practices" in Idaho.

Rating: -1

Does it create, expand, or enlarge any agency, board, program, function, or activity of government? Conversely, does it eliminate or curtail the size or scope of government?

House Concurrent Resolution 29 begins with a lengthy succession of 'whereas' statements forwarding a series of claims about the nature of trauma, stress, anxiety, and other psychological issues. The resolution does not source any of these claims. It concludes with the notion that state intervention is the solution to Idaho's psychological woes and calls on "all officers, agencies, and employees of the State of Idaho whose responsibilities include working with vulnerable children and adults" to "become informed" on matters of trauma and to "implement evidence-based interventions and practices that are proven to be successful in developing resiliency in children and adults currently suffering from trauma-related disorders to help them recover from their trauma..." 

Among other concerning elements, this is an expansion of the role of government. The state is not equipped to serve as its citizens' therapist nor is it appropriate for the state to plot interventions into the proper realm of families, churches, and communities. 

(-1)

Analyst Note: Beyond its potential for expanding the scope and role of government, House Concurrent Resolution 29 raises reasonable concerns about the erosion of parental rights with statements such as "WHEREAS, a critical factor in buffering a child from the negative effects of toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences is the existence of at least one stable, supportive relationship between the child and a nurturing adult." Real life often falls far short of such ideals, yet even parents who may not meet the state's model of "stable, supportive, and nurturing" still retain the right to raise their children free from state intervention.