June 23, 2006
OLYMPIA… Senate
Republican Leader Mike Hewitt today announced the appointment of
Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, to the Life Sciences Discovery
Fund Authority’s Board of Trustees.
“This appointment is a terrific
fit,” said Hewitt, R-Walla Walla. “Sen. Delvin’s extensive
legislative background, excellent working relationships with
other members and solid ties to the private sector will make him
a valuable addition to the board. Also, much of the work that
occurs in the life sciences area may be done out of Sen.
Delvin’s district. All those factors combined make Sen. Delvin a
solid choice to serve the public in this position.”
The Life Sciences Discovery
Fund, created in 2005 with passage of Senate Bill 5581, will
deploy $350 million over ten years to support private-sector
firms in the development of life sciences-related research
conducted within Washington. The 11-member Board of Trustees,
which includes one legislator from each caucus, is assembled to
manage the fund and oversee the grant-making process. Delvin
will replace Sen. Bill Finkbeiner, R-Kirkland, who recently
announced he is not running for reelection this fall.
“It’s an honor to be selected
to serve on the Life Sciences board,” Delvin said. “These are
public funds, and it’s key that they be spent wisely and in a
way that creates jobs and, even more important, makes advances
in finding cures for life-threatening diseases.”
Delvin was elected to the House
of Representatives in 1994 and moved to the Senate in 2004. He
serves on the Senate Agriculture and Rural Economic Development;
Water, Energy and Environment; and Early Learning, K-12 and
Higher Education committees. He has served as a Richland police
officer since 1979 and is a former military police officer and
Hanford Patrol officer. He is a lifelong resident of Benton
County.
Delvin’s appointment is
expected to take effect before the board’s next meeting on July
18.
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Additional
contacts: Rebecca Japhet at (360) 786-7516,
Japhet.Rebecca@leg.wa.gov or Pat Albright at (360) 786-7519,
Albright.Pat@leg.wa.gov.
For the latest news and information from the Senate Republican
Caucus visit the Senate Republican Media Center at
http://www.src.wa.gov |