BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Idaho foster children will have new legal protections after Gov. Brad Little signed two bills into law on Wednesday, measures supporters say are aimed at strengthening safety standards and clarifying when courts can step in to protect kids from abuse.
One of the new laws, nicknamed Isaiah’s Law, gives courts guidance on pausing visitation with a biological family in cases of proven physical or sexual abuse. Supporters said the law is intended to balance a child’s right to safety with the parents’ rights to their children.
“I feel really good and kind of excited,” Isaiah said.
The bill is based on the experience of Isaiah, a 9-year-old who was abused during visits with his parents while he was in foster care, before the state terminated their parental rights. Monique Peyre, his foster mom, adopted Isaiah, along with two of his siblings, in April of 2025.
“Their pain and what they went through and the hardship of all of it, it makes it worth something. It kind of brings closure that we’re using something so hard to help other kids,” she said. “I just never thought it would happen so quickly. It’s just incredible.”
Acknowledging his presence at the signing along with so many other foster families, Isaiah said, “I feel comfortable and safe.”
He now owns the pen the governor used to sign his namesake bill.
The second bill, the Foster Child Safety Act, creates what supporters describe as a bill of rights for foster children by ensuring the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s best practices, codifying foster children’s right to safety, health, and essentials, and requiring that foster children be informed of those rights.
During the bill signing, Idaho officials praised foster families for their role in pushing the changes forward by sharing their experiences.
“I just really want to thank all the families for open heart, caring, and everything because you got us to this point, and the expertise has got us over the finish line,” Sen. Melissa Wintrow said. “They put sunlight on what’s going on so that we could do good policy informed by real experiences.
Rep. Josh Wheeler added, “These foster parents have hearts of absolute gold and advocated for us to make these absolute changes, so I applaud them more than any of the rest of us.”
The foster parent group’s third measure still awaits debate on the Senate floor after passing the House.
It’s Nicknamed Benji’s Law, after Isaiah’s biological brother, who Nampa police found dead in the care of his parents in December 2025. Investigators believe the baby died a day earlier, possibly by suffocation, when he was 11 days old.
They were already working on Isaiah’s Law when they learned of the tragedy and felt they needed to do something good out of the loss.
“His life was short, but I think it’s going to help future babies. Even sharing Benji’s story with the world as we have been, creates more awareness for these really hard situations,” Peyre said. “Of course, we hope it passes, but if it dfoesn’t we will not give up and continue moving forward and pursue it next year.”
Isaiah added, “I really hope it passes.”
Peyre and several others said they had called IDHW and the Nampa Police many times to check on Benji. Under IDHW policy, the report was given a low priority, and no caseworker or police officer ever saw Benji during his short life.
Benji’s Law would require a top-priority response in similar cases. It would also require verification within 12 hours of a report involving a baby born to parents with a history of abuse, neglect, and/or parental rights terminations, along with a safety assessment within 24 hours.
Before Benji’s birth, his parents lost parental rights to five children, including Isaiah, and had child abuse convictions. Allysen Armenta and Brian Lemke face felony charges for Benji’s death. Armenta has an arraignment on the 31st, and Lemke is scheduled to go to trial on May 11.
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