Senate Passes Bill to Encourage Online Organ Donation

The New York State Senate today gave final legislative passage to legislation (S6972 [2]), sponsored by Senator Kemp Hannon (R-C-I, Garden City), Chairman of the Senate Health Committee, that would make it easier for New Yorkers to register online to become an organ donor.

"I continually stress the importance of becoming a donor because donating an organ is saving a life," Senator Hannon said. "This bill would make the process of registering for organ donation online more convenient by allowing donors to receive electronic confirmation of their registration and amend or revoke their registration online.”

“When it comes to organ donation, the need far exceeds the supply,” Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos said. “More than 1,500 people in our state receive donated hearts, livers and kidneys each year, but there are 10,000 New Yorkers on waiting lists.  This bill would make registering for donation more convenient for potential donors who may be hesitant to register.”

The state Department of Health is currently authorized by law to offer online electronic registration.  This is done through the Department of Motor Vehicles website at  --http://www.dmv.ny.gov/mydmv.htm#Organ [3]. This bill would allow a notice of successful registration to be emailed.  It would also allow for the use of an electronic signature to amend or revoke consent.

This legislation is supported by the New York Organ Donor Network, the Greater New York Hospital Association, the Healthcare Association of New York State and the New York Alliance for Donation.

New York is currently ranked 48^th in the country with an organ donation signup rate of only 18 percent of eligible donors. The highest ranked states have signup rates between 50 and 70 percent.

The bill, which was previously passed by the Assembly (A9901) will be sent to the Governor for his consideration.