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This section (formerly "Legislation") has been extensively revised to be more comprehensive and more useful to you. Please let us know what you think and if there's anything else you'd like to see information on!

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Organ Allocation | Current Federal Legislation

Organ Allocation

TRIO is fighting to have patients put first when allocating the precious gift of life. Read the latest news and learn about TRIO's efforts and position below.

12/20/99 - TRIO President Bruce Weir testified before the Department of Health and Human Services on the Amended Rule. Read his statement.
11/15/99 - A Congressional budget deal has been reached to allow implementation of the transplant regulations. Find out more in TRIO's press release.
10/20/99 - The Department of Health and Human Services, Donna E. Shalala has published an Amended Final Rule for the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network. TRIO supports these amendments. Read the Amended Final Rule, a statement from Secretary Shalala, and fact sheets at the Division of Transplantation.
9/22/99 - The House Committee on Commerce's Subcommittee on Health and Environment held a hearing today on H.R. 2418, legislation to reauthorize the National Organ Transplant Act. Read TRIO's concerns about this bill, TRIO President Bruce Weir's testimony to the Subcommittee, the Subcommittee's online information from the hearing, and the text of the bill.
9/20/99 - The American Society of Transplantation (AST) and Transplant Recipients International Organization, Inc. (TRIO) issued a Joint Statement on the report of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on organ procurement and transplantation.
7/20/99 - The Secretary and Health and Human Services, Donna E. Shalala, has issued a statement regarding the findings of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on organ transplantation.
7/20/99 - The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has released its study of organ procurement and allocation, which it was directed to perform by the same law (PL 105-277) that postponed implementation of the organ allocation changes and several other reforms (such as uniform listing criteria and broader representation by patients and donor families on the UNOS Board of Directors) until October 21, 1999. Read TRIO's statement and the complete report free online.
6/25/99 - UNOS changes the liver allocation policy, bringing it one step closer to the proposed reforms. Read the story in the July Membership Update.
4/16/99 - TRIO President Bruce Weir's second presentation to the Institute of Medicine Committee on Organ Procurement and Transplantation Policy
3/11/99 - TRIO President Bruce Weir's first presentation to the Institute of Medicine Committee on Organ Procurement and Transplantation Policy
6/18/98 - TRIO President Bruce Weir's testimony before the joint hearing of the Senate Labor Committee and the House Commerce Subcommittee on Health and Environment
5/14/98 - TRIO calls for expeditious implementation of new regulations for organ transplant (Press Release)
3/26/98 - TRIO applauds new HHS regulations on organ donation for its patients-first approach (Press Release)
Interstate Organ Sharing - Several states have enacted laws to keep organs donated in that state for residents of that state. Read TRIO's position on these laws.
The Department of Health and Human Services has made the full text of the regulation, a press release, and a fact sheet available at its organdonor.gov web site.

Current Federal Legislation

Many important bills are currently pending before Congress. Write your Representatives and Senators on these issues! You can now easily e-mail your opinions to your Members of Congress through TRIO's Legislative Action Center. Follow the links from the bill numbers to read the actual text of the bill and the latest legislative action.

Some of the major transplantation-related bills are:

Medicare Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage: S. 631 / H.R. 1115

Medicare currently covers immunosuppressive drugs for only three years S. 631, the Immunosuppressive Drugs Coverage Act, has been re-introduced by Senator Mike DeWine and would

eliminate the current Medicare time limit for drug coverage of immunosuppressive medications,
extend coverage of immunosuppressive drugs beyond the point in time when Medicare transplant recipients may lose the rest of their Medicare benefits, and
ensure that if a recipient has both Medicare and private insurance coverage, the private insurance plan, not Medicare, pays for the immunosuppressive drugs.

H.R. 1115, the Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage Extension Act, has also been re-introduced by its sponsors, Representatives Charles Canady and Karen Thurman. This bill would also remove the time limit on Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive medications.

These bills are critically needed to help preserve the gift of life recipients have received. Write to your representatives today!

News! The Institute of Medicine recently held a briefing discussing its forthcoming study on extending Medicare coverage. Read about it in the January 2000 Update.

(A question-and-answer fact sheet on these bills and their differences, as well as summaries of both S. 631 and H.R. 1115, are available.)

Re-Issue of Postage Stamp: S. 2062 / H.R. 3809

Senator Mike DeWine and Representative Connie Morella have introduced a bill to re-issue the Organ and Tissue Donation Stamp as a semi-postal, like the breast cancer research stamp--the first-class stamp would be available at a slightly higher cost, and the extra proceeds would benefit organ donor awareness programs. Write your representative in Congress today to support this awareness-raising measure!

You can also read TRIO President Elizabeth Rubin's letter to Senator DeWine supporting this bill.

The Gift of Life Congressional Medal Act: S. 499 / H.R. 941

This bill would award a Congressional Medal to donors and donor families. TRIO supports the bill: donors and donor families are the heroes of transplantation. We should do all we can to recognize their gift of life!

Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999: H.R. 1180

This legislation, recently passed into law, will help disabled Americans join the work force by allowing them to keep their government-financed health benefits when they take jobs. Thanks for all your help in advocating for this major step forward for transplant recipients!

The Organ Donor Leave Act: S. 1334 / H.R. 457

The Organ Donor Leave Act has been signed!! Federal employees were currently allowed to use up to seven days of paid leave in order to donate bone marrow or organs. These bills extend this time to 30 days for organ donors, since organ donations generally require a longer recovery period. The House version of this bill was passed on 7/26/99--read TRIO's press release on its passage. On 9/8/99, the Senate passed the same version and on 9/24/99 President Clinton signed it into law!! Thank you for all your support!