[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3503 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3503

 To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize increased Federal 
     funding for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 17, 2008

  Mr. Dorgan introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize increased Federal 
     funding for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Organ Transplant Authorization Act 
of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 amended the 
        Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services to provide for, by contract with a private 
        nonprofit entity, the establishment and operation of an Organ 
        Procurement and Transplantation Network.
            (2) The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network 
        represents a unique public-private organization that requires 
        each party to contribute a certain amount of funding to the 
        network's operation.
            (3) The National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 provided a 
        statutory annual authorization of $2,000,000 for such purpose 
        with remaining costs to be paid by the private sector 
        contractor.
            (4) In 1984, the annual total operating cost of the Organ 
        Procurement and Transplantation Network was $5,000,000, but in 
        2007 such annual cost exceeded $27,000,000.
            (5) The original authorization amount for the Organ 
        Procurement and Transplantation Network has never been 
        increased since the enactment of the National Organ Transplant 
        Act of 1984, resulting in a greatly increased cost burden on 
        the private sector contractor.
            (6) Much of the increased costs of operation of the Organ 
        Procurement and Transplantation Network have resulted from 
        additional duties and responsibilities assigned to the private 
        sector contractor by Federal regulations and Secretarial 
        directives.

SEC. 3. INCREASED FUNDING FOR THE ORGAN PROCUREMENT AND TRANSPLANTATION 
              NETWORK.

    Section 372(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 274(a)) 
is amended by striking ``$2,000,000'' and inserting ``$7,000,000''.
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