Legislature(2007 - 2008)BELTZ 211

04/26/2007 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE


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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
*+ SB 118 PLASTIC BAG FEE; ESTABLISH LITTER FUND TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
+ HB 121 WORKERS' COMPENSATION RECORDS TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
+= SB 140 LEAVE FOR BONE MARROW DONATIONS TELECONFERENCED
Moved CSSB 140(L&C) Out of Committee
+= SB 102 MORTGAGE LENDING TELECONFERENCED
Moved CSSB 102(L&C) Out of Committee
+= SB 28 LIMIT OVERTIME FOR REGISTERED NURSES TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
             SB 140-LEAVE FOR BONE MARROW DONATIONS                                                                         
                                                                                                                              
1:37:02 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR ELLIS announced  SB 140 to be up for  consideration. He set                                                               
it aside to wait for a quorum.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
             SB 140-LEAVE FOR BONE MARROW DONATIONS                                                                         
                                                                                                                              
CHAIR ELLIS announced SB 140 to be up again for consideration.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
PAULA CADIENTE,  staff to Senator  Elton, sponsor,  recapped that                                                               
this bill  would allow public  and private employees to  be given                                                               
administrative  leave for  making bone  marrow donations.  Public                                                               
employees  would  get  a  minimum  of 40  hours  a  week  and  by                                                               
regulation  they   would  have  a  maximum   amount  and  private                                                               
employees would get between 40 hours and no more than 60 hours.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:52:21 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR STEVENS  moved to adopt  CSSB 140(L&C), version  M. There                                                               
were no objections and it was so ordered.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:52:50 PM                                                                                                                    
ANDREA  QUINTO, Alaskan  resident,  explained that  she had  been                                                               
working with  the National Marrow  Donor program for two  years -                                                               
mostly out of  necessity in the beginning, but  now for everybody                                                               
else. She related how her nephew  came down with leukemia, but he                                                               
is now in remission and doing  good. His donor is from New Mexico                                                               
and  the year  her  nephew  came down  with  leukemia, only  four                                                               
others in this state needed a  transplant - one of them was Susan                                                               
Butcher.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Not  everyone who  gets a  bone marrow  transplant would  be from                                                               
this  state, she  explained. You  don't know  where a  donor will                                                               
come from. She asked Senator Elton  to draft this bill that would                                                               
help  people who  get  the  call and  the  opportunity to  change                                                               
someone's  life,  especially in  villages,  who  can't afford  to                                                               
leave their  jobs to get  time off.  In Alaska, it  usually takes                                                               
two  days of  traveling  time  one way  to  the  donor center  in                                                               
Washington State - if the  weather cooperates, plus recovery time                                                               
and 24  hours of observation to  make sure you're okay  - and two                                                               
days of traveling time back again.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. QUINTO said  it is important to support this  bill because it                                                               
supports people who are trying  save other people. She asked them                                                               
to contemplate  how them  would feel if  someone in  their family                                                               
might need a transplant next and  that a donor was available, but                                                               
couldn't leave  work. She also  stated that donor  recipients are                                                               
not allowed  to offer money  to get the  donor to them.  It's all                                                               
voluntary.  She said  this legislation  would  only cover  donors                                                               
from Alaska.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:56:47 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  ELLIS thanked  her for  her testimony  and said  he sensed                                                               
good support  for this bill.  He said  all the fiscal  notes were                                                               
zero.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEVENS moved  to pass CSSB 140(L&C)  from committee with                                                               
individual recommendations and attached  fiscal notes. There were                                                               
no objections and it was so ordered.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                

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