[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 107 (Thursday, July 16, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S7643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BURRIS:
  S. 1463. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a 
National Organ and Tissue Registry Resource Center, to authorize grants 
for State organ and tissue donor registries, and for other purposes; to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. BURRIS. Mr. President, today I rise to speak on the subject of 
organ donation. Every day in this country, 17 people die while waiting 
for a donated organ. Typically, people wait 3 to 5 years before an 
organ becomes available, and the organ waiting list grows at a rate 
five times faster than donations.
  What we need are improvements to the organ donor registry system, to 
increase efficiency and share best practices between states. The 
Everson Walls and Ron Springs Gift for Life Act of 2009 is named in 
honor of two close friends and former NFL teammates, one of whom may 
not be here today were it not for the incredible generosity of ``living 
organ donation.'' Ron's struggle with diabetes led to the failure of 
both kidneys. Everson's decision to give Ron one of his kidneys, led 
them both to create the Gift for Life Foundation. The group spreads 
awareness of organ donation issues, particularly among minority 
communities, who suffer disproportionately from the organ shortage.
  This act will establish a National Organ and Tissue Donor Registry 
Resource Center to provide technical assistance to state donor 
registries. The center will also serve as a State registry information 
clearinghouse for the evaluation and development of best practices for 
donor registries nationwide. Further, the act will codify minimum 
operating standards for donor registries, and establish a grant program 
to develop, expand, and evaluate State donor registries. Finally, the 
act will create a study on the feasibility of establishing a living 
donor database in order to track the short and long-term health effects 
for such individuals.
  I urge the Senate to take action on this important issue. We must 
improve the functioning of our organ donation system. Thousands of 
lives hang in the balance.
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