Human Rights Board Considers Voting, Patient Privacy, Budget Investment

MOSCOW – In response to public concerns, voting access, racial harassment and hospital patient privacy were discussed by the Moscow Human Rights Commission at its Tuesday meeting.

In voting action, the board unanimously:

* Approved spending $1,000 of its remaining fiscal year 2026 budget of $1,487 to invest in public visibility materials to be used in years to come. These might include a table, canopy, banner for the table and Palouse Pride parade, button press with colorful slogan papers for table visitors to make their own buttons at events, and other things.

Because these items were not specified in the board’s original budget request, using the funds this way must be approved by the mayor as a special consideration, said Moscow Police Department (MPD) Chief Anthony Dahlinger, the city’s staff liaison to the commission. With the tight city budget, the mayor asked the board not to use all the remaining funds, and commissioners determined $1,000 was a “respectful amount.”

* Approved sending information prepared by Commissioner Jana Argersinger for city staff to use in filling out an application for Moscow to participate in the Rural Welcoming Initiative. It is a program of the Welcoming America nonprofit that advocates for inclusive communities (https://welcomingamerica.org/). See an earlier article at https://moscowidaho.news/2026/05/23/human-rights-partnerships-could-help-fund-student-dinner/

In response to public concerns about poor voting accessibility at the University of Idaho (UI), Latah County Clerk Julie Fry explained improvements that have been made since the large voter turnout in the 2024 presidential elections. 

The campus Bruce Pitman Center proved a good voting location in May, she said, and will be used in November. And two weeks of early voting will be available at the ISUB (Idaho Student Union Building) for residents of all precincts.

During public comment, three African-American students from Washington State University (WSU) told the commission they were harassed with racial slurs last weekend at the Palouse Place mall by three Caucasian men. They had identification information for two of the men and met with Chief Dahlinger outside of the commission meeting about filing a report.

The MPD keeps track of such allegations, and Dahlinger routinely reports hate incidents during commission meetings.

Commission Chair John Freeland opened for discussion concerns brought to him about patient privacy at Gritman Hospital relating to a drug death reported by Investigate West (https://www.investigatewest.org/she-brought-fentanyl-to-the-hospital-to-save-her-son-idaho-treated-him-as-a-trafficker/).

Chief Dahlinger said while evidence might have been circumstantial, since the Latah County deputy never saw the patient with drugs, the county prosecutor told him there were no issues or irregularities with law enforcement in the case. 

Dahlinger said MPD personnel are trained in federal HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) law, and are open to such training.

In other business, the board welcomed new Commissioner Jessica Samuels, a Moscow resident for 22 years and assistant director of Multicultural Student Services at WSU, and discussed plans for its “Know Your Rights” social justice forum, 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the second-floor City Council chambers of City Hall, 206 E. Third St.

The presentation will distinguish between criminal harassment and civil offenses, said Commissioner Nick Smiley-Kallas, providing resources and education for the community when an incident doesn’t rise to a criminal violation. Speakers will be the deputy city and county prosecutors and the student retention specialist in the UI College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Moscow Human Rights Commission will be Oct. 20.