House panel backs teen tanning bill

BOISE (AP) - A House panel is endorsing a bill that would require teens to get permission from their parents in order to use a tanning bed.

The House Health and Welfare Committee unanimously passed the legislation Wednesday.

The bill requires parental permission for children ages 14 to 17. Children under age 14 would be banned from tanning beds completely.

Idaho has similar state laws in place for tattoos and piercings.

Steven Mings, a dermatologist in Boise, warned lawmakers about the health dangers of tanning booths.

"What is widely held and proven is that the ultraviolet light in tanning beds promotes cancer," he said. "The more ultraviolet light your skin gets, the higher the risk of developing cancer."

Forty-one states have some restrictions on tanning bed use, Mings said.

Republican Rep. John Vander Woude says this bill is good compromise. He opposed similar bills that failed in recent years.

In 2012, the Idaho House passed a bill that would have banned tanning for children under age 16 and required permission for 16- and 17-year-olds. It died in a Senate committee.

The next year, a bill with lower fines failed to pass the House.

Julie Trounson, a financial adviser in Boise, told the panel that she believes her melanoma is a direct result of tanning bed use.

"It was a short-term tan that lasted about a week, but it's brought a lifetime of negative impacts," she said.

Mings told lawmakers that children are especially vulnerable to damage from tanning because their skin is still developing.

Although the committee's vote was unanimous, three people spoke against the bill.

Joel Robinson told lawmakers that the sun can cause the same damage, and the state is impeding on the role of parents.

The legislation now goes to the full House for approval.