[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3530 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3530

  To establish the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life Medal for organ 
                 donors and the family of organ donors.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 22 (legislative day, September 17), 2008

   Mr. Brown introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
    referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life Medal for organ 
                 donors and the family of organ donors.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Stephanie Tubbs 
Jones Gift of Life Medal Act of 2008''.
    (b) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was dedicated to 
        eliminating health disparities and protecting vulnerable 
        populations.
            (2) Through her service on the Committee on Ways and Means, 
        Subcommittee on Health, she was a strong voice for those who 
        were poor, elderly, racial and ethnic minorities, and 
        disenfranchised.
            (3) Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones' concern for others 
        was demonstrated by the decision to donate her organs, so that 
        as her life ended, the lives of others continued.
            (4) There are currently 99,625 candidates for organ 
        donation on the national transplant waiting list. Every 16 
        minutes, a new name is added to such list. Sixteen persons die 
        each day waiting for a life saving organ transplant.
            (5) Minority populations account for nearly 50 percent of 
        those on the national transplant waiting list.
            (6) Diseases that can lead to organ failure, such as 
        hypertension and diabetes, are found more frequently in ethnic 
        minority populations than in the general population.
            (7) While minorities donate organs in proportion to their 
        population, the rate of organ donations fails to keep pace with 
        the need for transplants in the population. African-Americans, 
        for example, represent about 13 percent of the population and 
        12 percent of organ donors, but comprise roughly 23 percent of 
        individuals on national transplant waiting list for kidney 
        transplants.
            (8) Transplantation success rates are higher when organs 
        are matched between people sharing the same racial and ethnic 
        background.
            (9) Because of the disparities in the need for organs, 
        minorities are more likely to wait longer to find a successful 
        match and are more likely to be sicker when an organ is found.
            (10) An increase in minority organ donations would decrease 
        the waiting time and increase the likelihood of successful 
        transplantations for minorities.

SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES GIFT OF LIFE 
              MEDAL.

    (a) In General.--Subject to the provisions of this section and the 
availability of funds under this Act, any organ donor, or the family of 
any organ donor, shall be eligible for a Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of 
Life Medal (hereafter in this Act referred to as a ``medal'').
    (b) Documentation.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall direct the entity operating the Organ Procurement and 
Transplantation Network to--
            (1) establish an application procedure requiring the 
        relevant organ procurement organization through which an 
        individual or family of the individual made an organ donation, 
        to submit to such entity documentation supporting the 
        eligibility of the individual or the family, respectively, to 
        receive a medal;
            (2) determine through the documentation provided and, if 
        necessary, independent investigation whether the individual or 
        family, respectively, is eligible to receive such a medal; and
            (3) arrange for the presentation to the relevant organ 
        procurement organization all medals struck pursuant to section 
        4 to individuals or families that are determined to be eligible 
        to receive medals.
    (c) Limitation.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), only 
        1 medal may be presented to a family under subsection (b). Such 
        medal shall be presented to the donating family member, or in 
        the case of a deceased donor, the family member who signed the 
        consent form authorizing, or who otherwise authorized, the 
        donation of the organ involved.
            (2) Exception.--In the case of a family in which more than 
        1 member is an organ donor, a medal may be presented for each 
        such organ donor.

SEC. 3. SOLICITATION OF DONATIONS.

    (a) In General.--The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network 
may collect funds to offset expenditures relating to the issuance of 
medals authorized under this Act.
    (b) Payment of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), all 
        funds received by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation 
        Network under subsection (a) shall be promptly paid by the 
        Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services for purposes of purchasing medals 
        under this Act for distribution.
            (2) Limitation.--Not more than 7 percent of any funds 
        received under subsection (a) may be used to pay administrative 
        costs, and fundraising costs to solicit funds under subsection 
        (a), incurred by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation 
        Network in carrying out this Act.

SEC. 4. DESIGN AND PRODUCTION OF MEDAL.

    (a) In General.--Subject to the provisions of this section, the 
Secretary of the Treasury shall design and strike the Stephanie Tubbs 
Jones Gift of Life Medals, each of which shall--
            (1) weigh 250 grams;
            (2) have a diameter of 3 inches; and
            (3) consist of bronze.
    (b) Design.--
            (1) In general.--The design of the medals shall commemorate 
        the compassion and courage manifested by and the sacrifices 
        made by organ donors and their families, and the medals shall 
        bear suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions.
            (2) Selection.--The design of medals struck under this 
        section shall be--
                    (A) selected by the Secretary of the Treasury, in 
                consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
                Services, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation 
                Network, interested members of the family of Stephanie 
                Tubbs Jones, Dr. William H. Frist, and the Commission 
                of Fine Arts; and
                    (B) reviewed by the Citizens Coin Advisory 
                Committee.
    (c) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to this section 
are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United 
States Code.
    (d) Striking and Delivery of Minimum-Sized Lots.--The Secretary of 
the Treasury shall strike and deliver to the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services no fewer than 100 medals at any time pursuant to an 
order by such Secretary.
    (e) Cost of Medals.--Medals struck under this section and sold to 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services for distribution in 
accordance with this Act shall be sold to the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services at a price sufficient to cover the cost of designing and 
striking the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of 
machinery, and overhead expenses.
    (f) No Expenditures in Advance of Receipt of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall not 
        strike or distribute any medals under this Act until such time 
        as the Secretary of Health and Human Services certifies that 
        sufficient funds have been received by such Secretary to cover 
        the cost of the medals ordered.
            (2) Design in advance of order.--Notwithstanding paragraph 
        (1), the Secretary of the Treasury may begin designing the 
        medal at any time after the date of the enactment of this Act 
        and take such other action as may be necessary to be prepared 
        to strike such medals upon receiving the certification 
        described in such paragraph, including preparing dies and 
        striking test pieces.

SEC. 5. MEDALS NOT TREATED AS VALUABLE CONSIDERATION.

    A medal under this Act shall not be treated as valuable 
consideration for purposes of section 301(a) of the National Organ 
Transplant Act (42 U.S.C. 274e(a)).

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) Organ.--The term ``organ'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 121.2 of title 42, Code of Federal Regulations, 
        as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Organ procurement organization.--The term ``organ 
        procurement organization'' means a qualified organ procurement 
        organization described in section 371(b)(1) of the Public 
        Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 273(b)(1)).
            (3) Organ procurement and transplantation network.--The 
        term ``Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network'' means 
        the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network established 
        under section 372 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
        274).
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