HCR96

WHEREAS, medical technology has advanced to the point where lives can be extended beyond what society had envisioned, even as recently as twenty years ago; and

WHEREAS, individuals are given the opportunity to donate their healthy organs to persons suffering from liver disease, kidney failure, and lung injuries, and corneas for eyes; and

WHEREAS, tissues, bone, and other anatomical parts can also be used by those with injuries that require repair; and

WHEREAS, through the miracle of transplantation, many of our friends, neighbors, and family members are now living healthy, productive lives; and

WHEREAS, there are over 97,000 individuals on our nation's organ transplant waitlist, but unfortunately, less than half of potential donors will say "yes" to helping others through organ or tissue donation; and

WHEREAS, 6,526 patients were removed from the national waitlist for organ donation upon their deaths in 2006; and

WHEREAS, in Hawaii, as of October 19, 2007, 381 patients are currently waiting for life-saving organ transplants according to data provided by the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network; and

WHEREAS, the need for donated organs and tissues continues as there are thousands of people who would benefit if more individuals were to become organ and tissue donors; and

WHEREAS, to increase the number of available donors, greater efforts are needed to inform people of the "gift" of organ and tissue donation and to provide them with the opportunity to donate; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii has contributed to these efforts by allowing individuals to indicate on their driver's licenses their willingness to be an organ donor; and

WHEREAS, the Organ Donor Center of Hawaii is the only federally-designated, private, nonprofit, charitable organization authorized to recover organs and tissue for transplant in the State of Hawaii and thus should be offered further assistance from public agencies to advance their good work on multiple levels; and

WHEREAS, in many states, organ-donation education programs in high schools have proven effective because they provide clear information to students and dispel false notions they may have based on inaccuracies communicated through the media; and

WHEREAS, the donation of an organ or tissue should not be cost-prohibitive for those who choose to help, but many individuals and families undergo financial and emotional stress in the donation process; and

WHEREAS, to ease such undue financial burden, the state of Wisconsin adopted what is widely known as "Cody's Law" in 2004, which provides a tax deduction for expenses incurred in the organ or tissue donation process; and

WHEREAS, eligible expenses of up to $10,000 incurred by individuals and families from donating all or part of a liver, pancreas, kidney, intestine, or lung, or bone marrow, including lost wages and travel and lodging expenses, are eligible for the tax deduction; and

WHEREAS, since its inception, Cody's Law has been adopted in ten other states and is being considered in more than two dozen others; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature, Department of Education, and Department of Health are ideally positioned to support the efforts of those who seek to build a healthy and educated Hawaii; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Education and Department of Health collaborate with the Organ Donor Center of Hawaii to increase awareness of the benefits of organ and tissue donation in the State of Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education, Department of Health, and the Organ Donor Center of Hawaii develop programs that:

(1) Provide clear and factual information to students to help them make informed decisions about organ and tissue donation;

(2) Provide a means for students to communicate to their families their wishes to make organ or tissue donations; and

(3) Ensure that students of driving age are presented with the opportunity to become organ or tissue donors;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature supports living-donor programs such as the program provided in Cody's Law; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Health, Superintendent of Education, Chairperson of the Board of Education, and executive director of the Organ Donor Center of Hawaii.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

ORGAN DONATION AWARENESS

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	96
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII