Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Health Care & Wellness Committee

SSB 6155

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.

Background:

Bone marrow donation is a method of collecting blood forming cells for bone marrow transplants. Bone marrow donation is sometimes used in the treatment of life threatening disorders such as leukemia and aplastic anemia, as well as certain immune system and metabolic disorders.

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.

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 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.