Idaho Gov. Little signed law shielding counselors' belief-based service refusals from licensing discipline

On March 21, 2024, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed Senate Bill 1352, enacting Idaho Code section 54-3416 ("Sincerely Held Principles"). The statute provides that a licensed counselor or marriage-and-family therapist shall not be required to counsel a client in support of goals, outcomes, or behaviors that conflict with the provider's sincerely held religious, moral, or ethical principles.

The law shields such a refusal from civil liability, criminal prosecution, and discipline by a professional licensing board, including discipline that would otherwise arise under the counseling profession's own code of ethics. The underlying ethics code is not repealed; rather, board enforcement is foreclosed as a remedy where a provider invokes the exemption. The bill passed the Senate 23-11 and the House 59-10, became Session Law Chapter 152, and took effect July 1, 2024. Idaho legislators debated the measure as a protection for providers' conscience rights; supporters framed its necessity around counselors declining to affirm gender transition or same-sex relationships, while the statutory text itself is written to cover any conscience-based objection.