[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 186 (Monday, December 16, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H7170-H7171]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONOR OUR LIVING DONORS ACT
Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 6020) to amend the Public Health Service Act to eliminate
consideration of the income of organ recipients in providing
reimbursement of expenses to donating individuals, and for other
purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6020
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 ``Honor Our Living Donors
Act''.
SEC. 2. NO CONSIDERATION OF INCOME OF ORGAN RECIPIENT.
Section 377 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
274f) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (c) through (f) as
subsections (d) through (g), respectively;
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
``(c) No Consideration of Income of Organ Recipient.--The
recipient of a grant under this section, in providing
reimbursement to a donating individual through such grant,
shall not give any consideration to the income of the organ
recipient.''; and
(3) in subsection (f), as so redesignated--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``subsection (c)(1)'' and
inserting ``subsection (d)(1)''; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``subsection (c)(2)'' and
inserting ``subsection (d)(2)''.
SEC. 3. REMOVAL OF EXPECTATION OF PAYMENTS BY ORGAN
RECIPIENTS.
Section 377(e) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
274f(e)), as redesignated by section 2, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by adding ``or'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``; or'' and inserting a
period; and
(3) by striking paragraph (3).
SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORT.
Section 377 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
274f), as amended by sections 2 and 3, is further amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(h) Annual Report.--Not later than December 31 of each
year, the Secretary shall--
``(1) prepare, submit to the Congress, and make public a
report on whether grants under this section provided adequate
funding during the preceding fiscal year to reimburse all
donating individuals participating in the grant program under
this section for all qualifying expenses; and
``(2) include in each such report--
``(A) the estimated number of all donating individuals
participating in the grant program under this section who did
not receive reimbursement for all qualifying expenses during
the preceding fiscal year; and
``(B) the total amount of funding that is estimated to be
necessary to fully reimburse all donating individuals
participating in the grant program under this section for all
qualifying expenses.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Bucshon) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Indiana.
General Leave
Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Indiana?
There was no objection.
Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 6020, the Honor Our Living Donors Act, or
the HOLD Act, led by Representative Jay Obernolte.
This legislation will support living organ donors who give the
miraculous gift of life to patients in need and their families.
Donating an organ is a selfless act. The financial burdens of donation
should not stand in the way of people who are motivated to give the
gift of life.
Organ donors often take time off work and undergo invasive medical
procedures to help patients in need. Under current law, a living
donor's ability to be reimbursed for qualified expenses is based on the
income of both the donor and recipient. This has proven to be an
unnecessary barrier to living organ donation and has resulted in most
living organ donors financing their own donations.
The HOLD Act would ensure that more heroic living donors are able to
access qualified reimbursements associated with organ donation.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6020, the Honor Our Living
Donors Act, sponsored by Representatives Obernolte and DelBene.
Living donor donation is an important option for the more than
100,000 Americans on the national transplant waiting list. However,
many people who would like to donate an organ have trouble paying for
their related expenses. The National Living Donor Assistance Center
reduces these barriers by providing reimbursement for travel, lost
wages, and dependent care expenses to people pursuing living organ
donation.
Currently, there are strict income restrictions on who can be
reimbursed for being a living donor, including restrictions based on
the income of the recipient. This bill would no longer limit donor
eligibility based on the income of the recipient, allowing more donors
to qualify for necessary assistance when donating organs.
This bipartisan legislation is an important step toward making living
donation easier for those who choose to pursue it. It would also
benefit the thousands of individuals anxiously awaiting an organ
transplant.
Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in this effort to
strengthen and expand the National Living Donor Assistance Center
program. I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6020,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
[[Page H7171]]
gentleman from California (Mr. Obernolte).
Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to testify in support of
my bill, the Honor Our Living Donors Act.
Mr. Speaker, I think everyone can agree that there are few acts more
selfless than a living donor donating an organ to somebody else in
need.
There is a desperate need for those organs. We have over 100,000
Americans currently actively awaiting a donated organ to save their
lives, yet we don't have enough donations to go around.
It will also come as no surprise that the act of donating an organ
comes with substantial financial liability and risk for the donors.
There is time off work to be considered. It is an invasive medical
procedure with, in some cases, an extensive recovery. There are
expenses like childcare and travel. All of these things make it very
expensive to donate an organ.
That is why the National Living Donor Assistance Center was
established by Congress, to help fund these badly needed donations.
However, it is not enough. Over 90 percent of the active living donors
who donate an organ currently do so at their own expense.
One of the reasons for that is because it is so difficult to qualify
under the current guidelines. In fact, it is means tested so that it is
dependent on the sum of the income of the organ donor and the organ
recipient. I think we should all be able to agree that that is
nonsensical. Only the income of the donor should matter.
That is why this bill is so important. This bill makes that simple
change that will hopefully incentivize more people to undertake the
selfless act of donating an organ.
I thank you for your consideration, Mr. Speaker, and I respectfully
urge adoption of the HOLD Act.
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Obernolte
for his very thoughtful legislation, along with Representative DelBene.
I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 6020, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 6020, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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