2009
10/07/09
Lawmakers urged to provide hospital safety money
Medical errors: So much time, so little progress
4/16/09
Coalition of 'pirates' hold Legislature hostage
09/09/09 - Campbell's revised plans create a stir among Republicans
08\31\09 - Rep. Campbell reconsiders bid to run for Congress
Medical errors: So much time, so little progress
Published April 26, 2009
Session pirates, hostages fine; I-937 not
I don't even pretend to understand the machinations tonight, but it would appear the Democrats in the House and Senate have agreed to let their traditional last-hour fight end by killing the effort to toughen renewable energy standards on utilities and get on with the capital budget.
"It’s dead," said Rep. Tom Campbell, R-Roy, who backed the House stance on the measure. "It was a fun game of cards tonight. But the winners always say that."
He credited Speaker of the House Frank Chopp with negotiating an end to the stand off (explored here by able colleague Brad).
Chopp stopped by to grab another of the Pierce County pirates who had hijacked the capital budget over the matter, Rep. Steve Kirby.
Kirby returned two minutes later, and said, "He reiterated how important my vote was going to be tonight."
But Kirby said his stance on the remaining bills was already clear, and noted he was certain everything would be fine all along.
Meanwhile, the capital budget has been merged with the bonds for the 520 Bridge, making it the largest bond measure in state history, said Sen. Karen Fraser.
"Welcome to the world of high finance," she quipped.
All told, she was now optimistic the session will end on time.
"Some go out with a bang, some go out with a whimper, some go out with a argument," she said. "This is going out with maybe, frenetic energy."
The delay by the capital budget deal may have saved the levy equalization program, by the way. Although the bill could still come up, time grows short, and the Republicans have made it clear they will stall it out. Heard Chopp spoke with DeBolt personally there.
Published April 26, 2009
Two reps on sine die
Compare and contrast a few comments from two local dudes, Rep. Brendan Williams of Olympia and Rep. Tom Campbell of Roy.
"Extremely frustrating. Horribly disappointed. This session was an unending assault on the people and values of the 22nd District," Williams said.
Campbell was more circumspect, saying I-960’s limits on raising taxes took the heat out of a possible special session on taxes.
"Been through this in '93. We were here to like three in the morning, Gov. Lowry was here, we had people crying, passing out," he said.
"We're actually getting things down I never thought we would."
News Tribune Blog
Washington Senate OKs ban on lead tire weights
Installers could face fines by 2011
Richard Roesler / Staff writer
OLYMPIA – Those little lead weights clipped onto your tires soon may go the way of lead type, lead toy soldiers and lead paint.
Washington’s state Senate on Tuesday voted to ban the installation of lead tire weights by 2011. Tire dealers will be required to use alternatives like zinc or a steel alloy.
The amended bill now goes back to the House, which is expected to approve it. It then goes to Gov. Chris Gregoire to be signed into law.
“The Asian and European car makers have used alternative wheel weights for years now,” said Rep. Tom Campbell, R-Roy, the prime sponsor of House Bill 1033. “We are just catching up to them.”
Lead is highly toxic, Campbell says, and it only makes sense to use less hazardous alternatives. It has been linked to brain damage and other nervous system damage, particularly in young children.
The weights, which have long been used to balance tires and prevent shimmying at high speeds, can come loose and be flung by the roadside. The state Department of Ecology estimates that 5 percent of wheel weights come loose. That would mean that vehicle wheels are dropping 20 tons of lead on roadways and parking lots each year.
Worsening matters, Campbell says, the weights can be pulverized by passing cars, making it even easier for the soft metal to leach into rain runoff and soil.
Eighteen lawmakers, mostly Republicans, voted no.
“This bill seems to be a solution in search of a problem,” said Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside. “If you stop and look and think, where does lead come from? It comes from the soil. So it gets ground up, it goes back in the soil. I see no problem here.”
Some tire dealers are already phasing out lead weights. Les Schwab announced last summer that it was switching to steel weights at all 400-plus shops in eight states, including Washington and Idaho. As part of a legal settlement in a case brought by environmental groups, several major manufacturers have agreed to stop using lead weights in California by the end of this year.
Campbell’s bill would apply to weights installed on new tires or changed during routine tire maintenance. Businesses, rather than vehicle owners, will be responsible for replacing the old weights with safer equivalents. There are exceptions for large-diameter tires and vehicles with gross weights over 14,000 pounds.
Tire businesses that illegally install lead weights could be fined up to $500.
Richard Roesler can be reached at (360) 664-2598 or at richr@spokesman.com. For more news from Olympia, go to www.eyeonolympia.com.
4/14/09
Bill on drug-resistant infections advances
Infection Correction
4/16/09
MRSA bills passed by both houses...
State house votes to ban chemical from baby bottles
Mandatory testing for drug-resistant infections is prudent policy
While the $20 cost per test is significant, the growing number of cases is becoming an epidemic.
Updated: Friday, April 17, 2009 12:52 PM PDT
By the Union-Bulletin Editorial Board
At a time when businesses are financially pinched, government mandates can become an even heavier burden.
However, there are times when the benefits to the public are so clear that it makes the added costs acceptable.
We believe that's the case with a mandate unanimously approved by the Legislature that calls for hospitals to screen high-risk patients for a deadly germ know as MRSA or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
An investigation by The Seattle Times newspaper found that the number of patients in Washington state infected with MRSA increased dramatically over a 10-year period. It went from 141 a year in 1998 to 4,723 in 2007. And Washington is not alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2007 MRSA infections were the cause of 18,000 deaths across the nation.
This is an epidemic that must be stopped.
The step taken in Washington is prudent.
The proposed law, which has been sent to Gov. Chris Gregoire for her signature, requires hospitals to adopt a MRSA screening policy by Jan. 1, 2010. Hospitals would be allowed flexibility, but adult or pediatric intensive-care patients would have to be screened within the first 24 hours, according to The Seattle Times. Hospitals would have to notify patients of a MRSA diagnosis and provide education on treatment and prevention.
The legislation also mandates hospitals disclose isolation policies to patients. Some hospitals put infected patients and noninfected patients in the same room.
"People are dying, and we have to take action. I think that's why you're seeing unanimous votes in the House and the Senate," said Rep. Tom Campbell, R-Roy, the legislation's prime sponsor.
We agree. However, we aren't as cavalier about the cost of the test. The $20 price tag for the nasal swab that can detect MRSA will be a burden for hospitals and patients. The cost of health care is already high and every dollar added puts more strain on an already strained system.
Still, this is literally a matter of life or death and the cost can be justified with high-risk patients.
This testing program must be closely watched to determine if it is sufficient to reduce the spread of MRSA. If it is not, the Legislature should consider further action such as expanding testing.
4/16/09
Washington governor signs MRSA screening, testing bill into law
4/16/09
Mandatory testing for drug-resistant infections is prudent policy
While the $20 cost per test is significant, the growing number of cases is becoming an epidemic.
By the Union-Bulletin Editorial Board
At a time when businesses are financially pinched, government mandates can become an even heavier burden.
However, there are times when the benefits to the public are so clear that it makes the added costs acceptable.
We believe that's the case with a mandate unanimously approved by the Legislature that calls for hospitals to screen high-risk patients for a deadly germ know as MRSA or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
An investigation by The Seattle Times newspaper found that the number of patients in Washington state infected with MRSA increased dramatically over a 10-year period. It went from 141 a year in 1998 to 4,723 in 2007. And Washington is not alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2007 MRSA infections were the cause of 18,000 deaths across the nation.
This is an epidemic that must be stopped.
The step taken in Washington is prudent.
The proposed law, which has been sent to Gov. Chris Gregoire for her signature, requires hospitals to adopt a MRSA screening policy by Jan. 1, 2010. Hospitals would be allowed flexibility, but adult or pediatric intensive-care patients would have to be screened within the first 24 hours, according to The Seattle Times. Hospitals would have to notify patients of a MRSA diagnosis and provide education on treatment and prevention.
The legislation also mandates hospitals disclose isolation policies to patients. Some hospitals put infected patients and noninfected patients in the same room.
"People are dying, and we have to take action. I think that's why you're seeing unanimous votes in the House and the Senate," said Rep. Tom Campbell, R-Roy, the legislation's prime sponsor.
We agree. However, we aren't as cavalier about the cost of the test. The $20 price tag for the nasal swab that can detect MRSA will be a burden for hospitals and patients. The cost of health care is already high and every dollar added puts more strain on an already strained system.
Still, this is literally a matter of life or death and the cost can be justified with high-risk patients.
This testing program must be closely watched to determine if it is sufficient to reduce the spread of MRSA. If it is not, the Legislature should consider further action such as expanding testing.
