Author Archives: brianzylstra

Senate passes Short bill raising awareness of need for bone-marrow donors

The Senate has unanimously approved a bill introduced by Sen. Shelly Short that seeks to increase awareness of the need for bone-marrow donors.

Short’s legislation, Senate Bill 6155, would require the state Department of Licensing to provide each driver’s license or identicard applicant with written materials regarding bone-marrow donation.

“This bill’s goal is to make more people realize the need for bone-marrow donors and to generate more interest and education in the national marrow-donor program,” said Short, R-Addy. “There is no greater thing we can do than to help save a life of someone who is in need of a bone-marrow donor.”

Short introduced the bill after learning about the moving story of one of her constituents, 10-yer-old Deer Park resident Jada Bascom. Soon after Bascom was born in April 2007, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive form of cancer that starts in the bone marrow.

After chemotherapy did not work, her family sought a bone-marrow transplant, but out of 7 million people in the National Bone Marrow Registry at that time, not a single match was found. Bascom’s family widened the search to Europe, and a match was found in Germany. On Nov. 27, 2007, Bascom received the lifesaving transplant.

SSB 6155, which was passed 48-0 by the Senate Wednesday, now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Panel OKs Short bill raising awareness of need for bone-marrow donors

The Senate Transportation Committee this week has approved a bill introduced by Sen. Shelly Short that seeks to increase awareness of the need for bone-marrow donors.

Short’s legislation, Senate Bill 6155, would raise awareness by requiring the state Department of Licensing to provide each driver’s license or identicard applicant with written materials regarding bone-marrow donation. The bill has been sent to the Senate Rules Committee for consideration.

“The goal of this bill is to make more people realize the need for bone-marrow donors and to generate more interest and education in the national marrow-donor program,” said Short, R-Addy. “I believe Washington would be the first state in the nation to do this if this bill becomes law.”

When Senate Bill 6155 received a public hearing in the Transportation Committee last week, among those testifying in support were Deer Park resident Jeana Moore and her 10-year-old granddaughter, Jada Bascom.

Short said she decided to introduce the bill after learning about Bascom’s moving story. Soon after Bascom was born in April 2007, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive form of cancer that starts in the bone marrow.

Short’s 7th Legislative District seatmate, Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber, R-Republic, has introduced a companion measure in the House of Representatives, SSB 2557, which was passed last week by the House Health Care and Wellness Committee.

Short and Maycumber are among several legislators who are taking part in a marrow registration event sponsored by the Senate next Tuesday (Feb. 6) at the Capitol. The registration drive is led by Be The Match.

Short bill seeks to raise awareness of need for bone-marrow donors

A Deer Park fifth-grader who survived cancer as an infant is the inspiration for a bill introduced in the 2018 legislative session by Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy.

Short’s legislation, Senate Bill 6155, would increase awareness of the need for bone-marrow donors by requiring the state Department of Licensing to provide each driver’s license or identicard applicant with written materials regarding bone-marrow donation.

“The goal is to make more people aware of the need for bone-marrow donors and to generate more interest and education in the national marrow-donor program,” Short said. “If this bill becomes law, I believe Washington would be the first state in the nation to do this.”

Senate Bill 6155 received a public hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday afternoon. Among those testifying in favor of it were Deer Park resident Jeana Moore and her 10-year-old granddaughter, Jada Bascom.

Jada Bascom (left) and her grandmother, Jeana Moore, during their testimony on SB 6155.

“Jada’s story is inspiring and has a happy ending, but it also shows how important marrow donations are for leukemia patients and how hard it can be to locate a bone-marrow match. If you are of a multicultural descent, that search is even harder,” Short said.

Short’s 7th Legislative District seatmate, Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber, R-Republic, has introduced a companion measure in the House of Representatives, House Bill 2557, which received a public hearing Tuesday in the House Health Care and Wellness Committee.

Short supports Hirst-fix bill approved by Legislature

After several days and nights of hours-long talks, Senate and House negotiators reached a compromise this week on legislation to fix the situation caused by the Supreme Court’s Hirst ruling, and again offer rural landowners a path for drilling household wells.

The Senate voted 35-14 Thursday night to pass Senate Bill 6091. The House approved it 66-30 later that night. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill into law on Friday.

Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy, voted in favor of the Hirst-fix legislation, saying it will help rural landowners in the 7th Legislative District and other areas of Washington.

“For most of the 7th District, this agreement essentially takes us back pre-Hirst,” Short said. “This negotiated agreement is a bittersweet accomplishment, given that we were not able to fix all of the issues surrounding the Little Spokane River watershed. The new rules give a green light to new wells and construction in areas where city water does not reach, and will prevent a collapse of property values estimated by one study to be $37 billion.

“Without water, landowners really cannot exercise their fundamental right to own, develop and enjoy property. The compromise we reached isn’t a perfect solution, but it allows for new domestic wells to be developed within the framework of current instream-flow rules. The legislation also recognizes the work of locally adopted watershed plans in developing projects that may help improve water quantity, quality, habitat and stream function,” Short added.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize the tireless work of former Senators Scott Barr and Bob Morton in establishing laws that empowered local counties to work toward local water solutions,” Short pointed out. “But just as importantly, we had individuals, such as Stevens County Commissioner Wes McCart, former county commissioners and so many others, who had the foresight to work through the ups and downs of local watershed planning to follow through on the work Senators Barr and Morton started. Their foresight and steadfast efforts protected property rights and use of water, now and into the future. I cannot emphasize enough how important their work was because it became a critical turning point in the Hirst negotiations.”

Short was one of the negotiators of the Hirst legislation that passed the Legislature, along with 13th District Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake.

“We had many hours of meetings this week that went late into the night,” Short said. “Our stance from the beginning was that we needed a bill that would treat rural landowners fairly so they can drill water wells on their land.”

Legislative Update: Jan. 19, 2018

Dear Friends,

It’s great to send you my first e-newsletter of the 2018 legislative session. Today marks the end of the second week of the 60-day session.

Because it’s only 60 days instead of the 105-day sessions that the Legislature has in odd-numbered years, this is considered a “short session.” It’s pretty fast-paced right now, too, with many meetings and committee hearings on bills, along with some of what we call “floor activity,” when the full Senate debates and votes on bills.

7th District telephone town hall Tuesday night

Next Tuesday (Jan. 23) I’m joining state Reps. Joel Kretz and Jacquelin Maycumber for a 7th Legislative District telephone town hall meeting. This community conversation, which is similar to a call-in radio format, will begin at 6 p.m. and last one hour. We’ll take listeners’ questions and provide information and our perspectives on the legislative session. To participate, call 509-404-3053 beginning at 6 p.m. Once you are connected, you may listen live and press the star (*) key on your telephone keypad to ask questions. I hope you can join us by calling in! It’s a great way to learn what’s happening in Olympia and to let us know your thoughts and questions.

Agreement finally reached on Hirst bill!

One of the biggest disappointments last year was the failure of the Legislature to reach agreement on a “Hirst fix” bill, which sought to find relief for rural Washington landowners seeking to drill small water wells on their property. The need for such a bill came after the state Supreme Court in 2016 issued a decision commonly known as “Hirst” that essentially restricted landowners from putting in wells, which severely impacts their ability to develop their land and hurts rural economies throughout Washington.

I’m pleased to report that House and Senate negotiators reached agreement on a Hirst fix this week, and the Senate approved it last night. I was one of the negotiators, along with 13th District Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake. We had many hours of meetings during this week that went late into the night. Our stance from the beginning was that we needed a bill that would treat rural landowners fairly so they can drill water wells on their land.

The most important part of this bill is that it protects existing wells, water uses, agriculture and development. Without water, landowners really cannot exercise their fundamental right to own, develop and enjoy property. The compromise we reached isn’t a perfect solution, but it allows for new domestic wells to be developed within the framework of current instream flow rules. The legislation also recognizes the work of locally adopted watershed plans in developing projects that may help improve water quantity, quality, habitat and stream function.

Soon after the Senate passed the Hirst bill last night, we passed the state capital budget. As the Hirst problem for landowners became more apparent last year, my Senate Republican colleagues and I declared we would not pass a capital budget until a Hirst fix was passed because of its importance to so many families in rural Washington. I’m glad our caucus held firm until a Hirst fix was signed into law.

My bills this session

After talking with constituents and groups in the 7th District, I’ve introduced several bills this session.

Three of my bills include:

SB 5958 – This would require the Department of Natural Resources, before it takes any significant agency action (such as imposing a rule), to identify its scientific sources of information it used to justify rules or other actions. Currently, the Department of Ecology and Department of Fish and Wildlife have to follow this “show your work” requirement before taking any action, so it makes sense for DNR to do it, too. SB 5958 received a public hearing in the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources and Parks Committee this week.

SB 6157 – This bipartisan bill would allow folks better access to health care by changing an insurance carrier’s initial prior-authorization process so patients can have a consecutive number of treatment visits with specialty-care providers that have been determined to be medically necessary.

SB 6155 – This would increase awareness of the need for bone-marrow donors by creating a checkbox on driver’s-license applications that connects interested applicants with Be The Match, a national marrow-donor program. The bill was inspired by a Deer Park constituent’s granddaughter who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2007 and received a life-saving marrow transplant. This bill will receive a public hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday afternoon.

Listen to legislative updates on radio on Mondays!

Each Monday from 8 to 9 a.m. during the legislative session, I get together with Reps. Kretz and Maycumber to do a live, joint interview with KOMW Radio out of Omak. We provide updates on what each of us is working on and what’s happening in the Legislature, as well as answer listeners’ questions. If you want to listen each Monday morning, just tune in to KOMW at AM 680!

Contact Me

Phone: (360) 786-7612 | Email: Shelly.Short@leg.wa.gov |

Mail: P.O. Box 40407 Olympia, Washington 98504-0407

Online: https://shellyshort.src.wastateleg.org/

Timothy Jasa serves as page for Sen. Shelly Short

Timothy Jasa, sophomore at Academy Northwest, spent a week working as a page for the Washington State Senate at the Capitol in Olympia. Timothy was one of 11 students who served as Senate pages for the second week of the 2018 legislative session.

He was sponsored by 7th Legislative District Sen. Shelly Short.

While Timothy was sponsored by Sen. Short, he had the opportunity to work in Sen. John Braun’s office. This kind of flexibility allows more students to participate in the page program.

“I really enjoyed sponsoring Timothy and meeting him while he paged for the Senate this week!” Sen. Short said. “The Page Program is a great way for students to learn about how the Legislature operates and see it in action.”

The Senate Page Program is an opportunity for Washington students to spend a week working in the Legislature. Students are responsible for transporting documents between offices, as well as delivering messages and mail. Pages spend time in the Senate chamber and attend page school to learn about parliamentary procedure and the legislative process. Students also draft their own bills and engage in a mock session.

Timothy said that being on the Senate floor was really interesting, especially “delivering notes to the senators,” which was his favorite part. He was surprised to learn “how many places a bill can be shut down during the legislative process.”

Timothy enjoys cross country and auto mechanics.

Timothy, 15, is the son of Robert and Jocelin Jasa of Winlock.

Students interested in the Senate Page Program are encouraged to visit: https://leg.wa.gov/Senate/Administration/PageProgram/ .

7th District legislators to hold telephone town hall meeting Jan. 23

Northeast Washington residents are invited to take part in a 7th Legislative District “telephone town hall meeting” on Tuesday, Jan. 23.

The community conversation, which is similar to a call-in radio format, will begin at 6 p.m. and last one hour.

The 7th District’s legislative team – Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy; Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda; and Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber, R-Republic – will take listeners’ questions and provide information and perspectives on the 2018 legislative session in Olympia.

To participate, constituents can call 509-404-3053 beginning at 6 p.m. Once connected, they can listen in and press the * (star) key on their telephone keypad to ask questions.

Participants can take part in the community conversation, listen to their neighbors and leave a message for the three lawmakers.

The legislative session began Jan. 8 and is scheduled to end March 8.

Short recognizes the Eubank family for humanitarian efforts

On June 28, the Senate adopted Senate Resolution 8676 recognizing Dave Eubank and his family for their humanitarian efforts around the world. Read the full text of the resolution here.

You can view Sen. Short’s floor remarks here.

Legislative Update: 100 Days

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The final week of session is upon us and there is plenty of work yet to be done. Unfortunately, it looks as though special session is likely. We are working diligently to negotiate final agreements on the budget, basic education and most importantly a solution for the Hirst decision. I realize that special sessions are frustrating for a myriad of reasons. But, I would like to remind folks that the major reasons for these special sessions is to fight back the billions of dollars sought in tax increase proposals. This year’s tax package passed by the House Finance Committee recommends the state institute a capital gains tax, increase B&O taxes to 20% among other things. That proposal would increase taxes by $8 billion over 4 years. Repeatedly, folks back home have said the state should live within its means. If a special session is necessary to ensure these tax proposals do not see the light of day, then so be it!

It has now been 50 days since we passed Senate Bill 5239 which restores a cooperative relationship between counties and the state when dealing with water rights issues.

This critical piece of legislation would allow landowners and businesses to develop their property, bringing more jobs back to rural Washington.

House Democrats failed to move SB 5239 out of committee and Governor Inslee called finding a solution “a distraction.”

The Hirst decision threatens to destroy economies in rural Washington. That is not a distraction.

This is a complex issue that will require Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate to work together in order to find a solution that will help us amply fund basic education, protect residential water rights and ensure the stability of rural economies for years to come.

The media is starting to take notice, understanding that this is an issue that will have catastrophic impacts statewide. Just last week, KOMO News reported the story of one family whose dream of building a home for their family has been crushed by the Hirst Decision.

Watch and share this short video that gives a brief overview of the Hirst decision, where we are now and where I hope to be when a final deal is reached.

For the most up-to-date information on a Hirst solution visit, fixhirst.com or https://src.wastateleg.org/hirst-fix/

Our Guest

I had the honor of sponsoring Olivia Harnack as a Senate page. Olivia is a 9th grader from St. Mary School and was one of 22 students who served as Senate pages during the 12th week session.

I am so glad that Olivia was able to make the trip to Olympia; it was great to have her help with some of the work we do here. I was so impressed with her poise and enjoyed the enthusiasm she had for learning about our Capitol’s history while she was here.

Contact My Office

If you have any comments, questions or concerns about the questions above or any other issues of interest please do not hesitate to call, write or email my office. Again, it is a tremendous honor to represent the people of the 7th District.

Phone: (360) 786-7612

Email: Shelly.Short@leg.wa.gov

Mail: P.O. Box 40407

Olympia, Washington 98504-0407