1999 Legislation
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SENATE BILL NO. 1083 – Employee ass’t prog/confidentiality

SENATE BILL NO. 1083

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Daily Data Tracking History



S1083................................................by JUDICIARY AND RULES
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS - Adds to existing law to protect the
confidentiality of communications between providers and participants in an
employee assistance program; to limit the liability of the employer on the
basis of a communication between a participant and a provider; to prohibit
the waiver of confidentiality as a condition of participating in an
employee assistance program; and to provide an exception.

02/02    Senate intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/03    Rpt prt - to Jud
02/22    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
02/23    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
02/26    3rd rdg - PASSED - 33-0-2
      AYES--Andreason, Boatright, Branch, Bunderson, Burtenshaw, Cameron,
      Crow, Danielson, Davis, Deide, Dunklin, Frasure, Geddes, Hawkins,
      Ingram, Ipsen, Keough, King, Lee, McLaughlin, Noh, Parry, Richardson,
      Riggs, Risch, Sandy, Schroeder, Sorensen, Stegner, Stennett, Thorne,
      Wheeler, Whitworth
      NAYS--None
      Absent and Excused--Darrington, Twiggs
    Floor Sponsor - Davis
    Title apvd - to House
03/01    House intro - 1st rdg - to Jud
03/18    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/19    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
    Rules susp - PASSED - 57-0-13
      AYES -- Alltus, Barraclough, Bieter, Black, Boe, Bruneel, Callister,
      Campbell, Chase, Clark, Crow, Cuddy, Deal, Denney, Field(13),
      Field(20), Gagner, Gould, Hadley, Hammond, Hansen(23), Hansen(29),
      Henbest, Hornbeck, Jaquet, Jones, Judd, Kellogg, Kempton, Kendell,
      Kunz, Lake, Limbaugh, Loertscher, Marley, McKague, Meyer(Duncan),
      Montgomery, Moyle, Pischner, Reynolds, Ridinger, Ringo, Robison,
      Sali, Schaefer, Sellman, Smith, Smylie, Stevenson, Stoicheff, Stone,
      Taylor, Tippets, Wood, Zimmermann, Mr Speaker
      NAYS -- None
      Absent and excused -- Barrett, Bell, Ellsworth, Geddes, Linford,
      Mader, Mortensen, Pomeroy, Tilman, Trail, Watson, Wheeler, Williams
    Floor Sponsor - Sali
    Title apvd - to Senate
03/22    To enrol - rpt enrol - Pres signed - Sp signed
03/23    To Governor
03/26    Governor signed
         Session Law Chapter 366
         Effective: 07/01/99

Bill Text


S1083


                                                                        
 ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
Fifty-fifth Legislature                 First Regular Session - 1999
                                                                        

                                      IN THE SENATE

                                   SENATE BILL NO. 1083

                             BY JUDICIARY AND RULES COMMITTEE

 1                                        AN ACT
 2    RELATING TO EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS; AMENDING THE HEADING FOR CHAPTER  2,
 3        TITLE 44, IDAHO CODE; AND AMENDING CHAPTER 2, TITLE 44, IDAHO CODE, BY THE
 4        ADDITION  OF  A NEW SECTION 44-202, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE DEFINITIONS, TO
 5        PROTECT THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN PROVIDERS  AND  PAR-
 6        TICIPANTS IN AN EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, TO LIMIT THE LIABILITY OF THE
 7        EMPLOYER  ON THE BASIS OF A COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A PARTICIPANT AND A PRO-
 8        VIDER, TO PROHIBIT THE WAIVER OF CONFIDENTIALITY AS A CONDITION OF PARTIC-
 9        IPATING IN AN EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND TO PROVIDE AN EXCEPTION.

10    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:

11        SECTION 1.  That the heading for Chapter 2, Title 44, Idaho Code, be,  and
12    the same is hereby amended to read as follows:

13                                      CHAPTER 2
14                                   EMPLOYER DUTIES
15                       EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS 

16        SECTION  2.  That  Chapter  2,  Title  44, Idaho Code, be, and the same is
17    hereby amended by the addition thereto of a  NEW SECTION  ,  to  be
18    known and designated as Section 44-202, Idaho Code, and to read as follows:

19        44-202.  EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. (1) As used in this section:
20        (a)  "Provider"  means  any  professional  licensed under the laws of this
21        state whose communications with clients or patients  are  subject  to  any
22        requirement  of confidentiality or privilege pursuant to the laws, regula-
23        tions, or rules of court of this state and who provides professional  ser-
24        vices to employee assistance program participants.
25        (b)  "Participants" means employees eligible to participate in an employee
26        assistance  program  and all others eligible to participate in an employee
27        assistance program by virtue of their relationship to an employee.
28        (c)  "Employee assistance program"  means  a  program  established  by  an
29        employer  for  the  benefit  and  convenience of its employees pursuant to
30        which participants access the professional services of  one  (1)  or  more
31        providers  regardless  of  who  is responsible for the payment of any fees
32        charged for such services, and regardless of the  type  of  employment  or
33        business  relationship,  if  any, that the employer has with the providers
34        involved.
35        (2)  No provider shall disclose to an employer, and no employer  shall  be
36    entitled  to  obtain disclosure of, a communication from a participant that is
37    privileged from disclosure, or required to be kept confidential by a provider,
38    under the laws, regulations or rules of court of this state. No employer shall
39    be held liable in any degree on the basis of any communication between a  par-
40    ticipant  and  a  provider  unless  the employer actually knew, or should have
41    known, of the information communicated before the alleged breach  of  duty  or


                                          2

 1    harm  occurred.  The nature of the employment or business relationship between
 2    the employer and the provider shall not  be  a  consideration  in  determining
 3    whether  an  employer  actually knew of the information communicated between a
 4    participant and a provider.
 5        (3)  No participant shall be required to waive the confidential or  privi-
 6    leged  nature  of  any  communication  as  a  condition of participating in an
 7    employee assistance program,  but  this  subsection  shall  not  apply  to  an
 8    employer's  referral  of an employee to a provider which is a condition of the
 9    employee's continued employment.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


                       STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

                            RS 08625C1

Many employers offer their employees a special benefit known
as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). These programs offer
employees the opportunity to access counseling services for
personal or work-related problems that may be affecting their
on-the-job performance. These programs are typically above and
beyond the benefits employees already receive from their
traditional health care insurance plans.

However, a 1998 Idaho Supreme Court decision created two
problems that could result in this benefit being taken away
entirely, or for the programs to become significantly under-
utilized by employees.

First, the decision raised doubts concerning an employee's
right to confidentiality for information they communicate
during an EAP session - an advantage that has contributed
significantly to the overall success of these types of
programs. Second, the decision created the potential for
employers to be held liable for information communicated in an
EAP session - a liability employers may choose to avoid
altogether by simply cancelling the program.

This bill will clarify that information communicated in an EAP
session is privileged and confidential, and that employers do
not have a right to this information - nor can they be held
liable for information communicated during an EAP session.

                          FISCAL IMPACT

There will be no fiscal impact to the General Fund.

CONTACT 
Name:         Dawn Justice, VP Human Resources
Organization: Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry
Phone:        343-1849

Statement of Purpose/Fiscal Impact

                                                            S1083