HOUSE BILL REPORT

SHB 2557

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

Requires the Department of Licensing to provide each driver's license and identicard applicant with written materials about bone marrow donation and being placed on the bone marrow donor registry.
Requires the Department of Health to report to the Legislature the results of the efforts to increase public awareness of bone marrow donation and the number of individuals being placed on the bone marrow donation registry from Washington.

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 15 members: Representatives Macri, Vice Chair; Schmick, Ranking Minority Member; Graves, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Caldier, Clibborn, DeBolt, Harris, Jinkins, MacEwen, Maycumber, Riccelli, Robinson, Slatter, Stonier and Tharinger.

Background:

The Department of Health (DOH) was required to establish a bone marrow donor recruitment and education program to educate residents about:

the need for bone marrow donors;
the procedures required to become registered as a potential bone marrow donor, including procedures for determining a person's tissue type; and
the procedure a donor must undergo to donate bone marrow or other sources of blood stem cells.

The DOH must make a special effort to educate and recruit residents from minority populations to volunteer as potential bone marrow donors. The DOH must also make special efforts to educate and recruit state employees, including conducting a bone marrow drive. The DOH, in conjunction with Department of Licensing, must make educational materials available at all places where driver's licenses are issued or renewed. Minors are not disqualified from bone marrow donation.

The National Marrow Donor Program is a 30-year-old program that operates the Be The Match Registry, which is the largest and most diverse bone marrow registry in the world.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

The Department of Licensing (DOL) must provide each driver's license or identicard applicant with written materials on bone marrow donation and being placed on the bone marrow donor registry. The DOL, in cooperation with the National Marrow Donor Program, must place signage in each licensing service office that the applicant will receive information about bone marrow donation and that any information provided by the applicant will only be used for obtaining information on becoming a possible donor and not for commercial or fundraising purposes. No organization or third party may use any information obtained from the applicants for purposes of providing information for bone marrow donation for fundraising or other commercial purposes.

The Department of Health's (DOH) Bone Marrow Donor Recruitment and Education Program must also include the ability to obtain information about bone marrow donation when applying for or renewing a personal driver's license or identicard with the DOL.

By December 1, 2019, the DOH, in conjunction with the DOL, must provide a report to the appropriate committees of the Legislature on the results and outcomes of the efforts to increase public awareness of bone marrow donation and the number of individuals being placed on the bone marrow donation registry from Washington as a result of the act.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) Every 3 minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer that could be treated with bone marrow. Bone marrow is something that is easily given and to be tested all that is needed is just a swab of one's mouth. However, it can be incredibly difficult to find a bone marrow match.

Despite the 16 million people on the donor registry in the United States, many still have not found a match. While some have had success finding a life-saving match by searching outside of the United States, others still do not find one. This is particularly true for individuals with diverse backgrounds; between 20-34% of those with diverse backgrounds never find a match.

Many individuals do not know of the bone marrow registry or how simple donation can be. This bill will reach 1.2 million potential donors each year and could have a great impact. It is very simple to register and is far less painful than most individuals think. Only one individual out of 40 are ever notified that they are a potential match, and only one out of every 430 are actual matches that go on to donate. Many individuals who have donated are very excited and happy to have done so and saved a life.

This bill is very simple and will get potentially life-saving information out to millions of people. This data can be easily tracked so that the Legislature will know exactly how many people from Washington have signed up as donors as a result of this Act.

(Opposed) None.