Tag Archives: bone marrow donors

Legislative Update: Feb. 16, 2018

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are concluding the busiest week yet of the 2018 legislative session. Seven of the past eight days (including last Saturday morning) have been dedicated to “floor action.” This means being on the floor of the Senate chamber to debate and vote on bills. We had floor action that went late into the evening more than once. In fact, one night we were working on the floor until after 1 a.m.

This Wednesday was “floor cutoff,” meaning the deadline for the Senate to pass its own bills. Now that this long round of floor action is behind us (the same goes for my colleagues in the House), we have reached a key point in the session.

My Senate colleagues and I again are focused on committee meetings, this time on bills that were approved by the House. The House committees are doing the same with Senate bills that are still alive.

Latest revenue forecast: Economic growth stronger than expected; time for property-tax relief

The new state revenue forecast released Thursday showed good news. Because of revenue collections coming in stronger than projected and an improved economic-growth outlook due in part to the recent federal tax reform, the expected revenue collections are up by $1.3 billion over the next three years, since the previous forecast in November. This new money is in addition to the $1 billion in new tax collections that have been projected since the Legislature passed a new state budget last year.

This week’s revenue forecast reinforces my Republican colleagues’ belief that we can and should pass a supplemental operating budget without raising taxes or creating an energy tax.

The positive forecast news strengthens the case for offering property-tax relief this year. SB 6439 proposes a $1 billion property tax cut to deal with a one-time “spike” in 2018 property taxes caused by the new school-financing plan adopted by the Legislature last year.

Senate passes two of my bills!

Two of my bills are now past the halfway point of the lawmaking process:

Senate Bill 6155 seeks to increase awareness of the need for bone-marrow donors. It would require the state Department of Licensing to provide each driver’s license or identicard applicant with written materials regarding bone-marrow donation. This proposal was scheduled for a public hearing in the House Health Care and Wellness Committee this morning.
Senate Bill 6157 would help patients have access to the health-care benefits for which they have already paid for in their health plans. It would allow people better access to health care by changing an insurance carrier’s initial prior-authorization process so patients can have six consecutive treatment visits, without prior authorization, with specialty-care providers that have been determined to be medically necessary. This bill would not expand health-care benefits. The House Health Care and Wellness Committee will have a public hearing on SB 6157 next Tuesday.

Honoring Canine Crusaders

It was my pleasure to sponsor a Senate resolution Thursday honoring the Kettle Falls Canine Crusaders, one of the many FIRST Robotics teams across America. The Canine Crusaders, led by Naomi Edwards, spend time in elementary and middle schools in our area to help expose younger students to creative, technical and critical thinking, and to let students know the importance and value of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). It’s a great program that helps so many of our students! You can view my resolution here.

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/

Legislative update: Feb. 7, 2018

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are at the halfway point of this year’s 60-day legislative session. If you think there aren’t many bills introduced just because it’s a “short session” this year, think again! So far this year, there have been nearly 2,000 new bills in the Legislature (994 in the Senate and 989 in the House).

Of course, the number of bills introduced has tailed off dramatically since we reached a key deadline last Friday: It was the last day for Senate policy committees to pass bills that began there. The bills that cleared the committee hurdle are still alive, but those measures that were not approved are technically considered dead for the session.

This week we are changing gears and devoting very long hours each day into the night and over the weekend to Senate floor sessions in which we debate and vote on bills that survived the committee cutoff. Feb. 14 is the last day for us to vote on bills originating in the Senate.

Two of my bills passed by committees

I’m pleased that two of my bills survived the Senate committee cutoff last week and proceeded to the Senate Rules Committee, the final hurdle before going to the floor for a full Senate vote.

SB 6155 would increase awareness of the need for bone-marrow donors by requiring the Department of Licensing to provide each driver’s license or identicard applicant with written materials regarding bone-marrow donations. The bill was inspired by 10-year-old Jada Bascom, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2007 and received a life-saving marrow transplant. Jada and her grandmother, Jeana Moore, both of Deer Park, testified in favor of the bill (pictured here) before the committee. Rep. Maycumber has a companion bill, HB 2557, that is close to being passed by the full House.
SB 6157 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.

Carbon tax proposal still alive

Each year there are “red flag” bills introduced in Olympia that are horrendous. This year, one particular bill that should concern all of us is SB 6203.

It would create a tax on carbon emissions in Washington, more accurately described as an energy tax. The bill proposes a new tax of $10 per metric ton of carbon emissions. It would begin in 2019 and in 2021 would increase $2 per ton each year until it is capped at $30 a ton. The tax will equate to a 30-cent-a-gallon fuel tax increase that starts at 10 cents. Washington already has the second-highest gas tax in the nation. With federal taxes, taxes would soon approach $1 a gallon! And it wouldn’t do a thing for our state’s roads and bridges.

You’d think a proposal to tax carbon would somehow improve Washington’s environment. But this proposal really isn’t about our environment. It’s really just a way to raise more revenue for state government.

This tax will hurt just about anyone who uses energy in our state, whether for power, heat or fuel. It would be especially burdensome on low- and middle-income families and those who live a long distance from where they work. We have made great strides in our state by adopting incentive-based policies that protect our environment. This bill is incredibly regressive and punitive.

This proposal also provides exemptions for 56 industry groups, but there is no exemption for Washington’s small businesses, which employ half of our state’s workforce. If the energy tax become reality, business recruitment to our state will suffer. By raising electricity prices, we would hamper one of Washington’s biggest competitive advantages – low-cost power.

SB 6203 was amended and passed last week by the Senate Energy, Environment and Technology Committee. The bill currently is in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. If it reaches the Senate floor, I can assure you I will fight it and do everything I can to bring the bill down.

Marrow registration event at Capitol

Rep. Maycumber and I were among several legislators who helped promote a marrow registration event yesterday at the Capitol. The registration drive, sponsored by the Senate, was led by Be The Match. By day’s end, dozens of individuals signed up as potential donors and educational literature was distributed as well!

7th District telephone town hall a success

The telephone town hall meeting that Reps. Kretz and Maycumber and I held on Jan. 23 was a rousing success! We had more than 500 people call in to listen to the discussion as we provided an update on what’s been happening this session and the bills we’re sponsoring. We also fielded questions from dozens of callers. I appreciate people taking time from their busy schedules to join us on the phone. Using telephone town hall meetings is a great way for us to stay in touch with the district, especially one as large as the 7th! I’m proud to say that our district typically has the best call-in numbers for any telephone town hall in the state!

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/

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.

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/