LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.—Amid a severe blood shortage, California lawmakers introduced a new bill on Feb. 15 to encourage blood donation by granting tax credits to companies and organizations that sponsor blood drives.   Senate Bill 1025, introduced by Sen. Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) and coauthored by Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove), would encourage the hosting of blood drives from businesses partnering with a non-profit blood bank organization, in order to boost blood donations.  “The continued impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the current business environment have made it difficult for some organizations to support ongoing blood drive sponsorships,” Bates said in a Feb. 16 statement.   According to Bates, approximately 6.8 million people in the U.S. donate blood every year; however, blood centers are unable to meet the demand as overall donations have been declining, with fewer people becoming new donors due to the pandemic.   The bill says company-sponsored blood banks would …