Bill banning Pride flag passes Idaho House

The Idaho House voted to advance a new flag bill on Thursday, sending a bill to the Senate that serves as a revised effort from the legislature to bar the Pride flag from being flown in Boise.

House Bill 561, sponsored by Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle, expands upon House Bill 96, which was signed by Gov. Brad Little last April. That law prohibits government entities, including universities and public schools, from displaying flags other than the United States flag, the official flag of a governmental entity, the official flags of any states in the U.S., the official flags of any military branches, the POW/MIA flag, or the official flags of Indian tribes.

The bill considered on the House Floor on Thursday is an amended version of legislation Hill introduced to the House State Affairs Committee in February to tighten restrictions on which flags local governments could fly. Concerns raised by individuals who testified and by House members at the hearing led to the addition of several exceptions.