House Passes Organ Transplant Bill

WASHINGTON – Today, the United States House ofRepresentatives passed HR 6469, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones OrganTransplant Act of 2008. The bipartisan legislation was sponsored byU.S. Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Jim Costa (D-CA) and Dave Camp(R-MI). It increases authorization for the Organ Procurement andTransplantation Network (OPTN) to $7 million, the first increase to theOPTN since 1984.

"This much-needed piece of legislation will boost the critical servicesprovided by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) tothousands of patients," said Rep. DeGette, Vice Chair of the Committeeon Energy and Commerce. "With a modest increase in funds, the servicesprovided by the OPTN can serve as a lifeline to many. And I am happy tosay that the work of the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones liveson in this legislation as it does with her generous donation of herorgans and tissues."

"This legislation reaffirms our nation's commitment to providing lifesaving health care through transplantation and at the same time, honorsour late colleague, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who gave thegift of life by becoming an organ donor," said Costa. "Whether it is akidney transplant that ends a patient's need for dialysis or a livertransplant that gives a person the strength to play catch with theirson or daughter, the impact of these life-saving procedures cannot beunderstated."

"It is a fitting tribute to name this bill in honor of our latecolleague Stephanie Tubbs Jones. A dedicated public servant to theend, she too gave the Gift of Life that this bill supports. Inexpanding access to organ donation and transplant services we helpthousands of Americans who are desperately awaiting life savingprocedures," stated Rep. Camp.

The National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) of 1984 authorized thecreation and operation of the Organ Procurement and TransplantationNetwork (OPTN), which facilitates the matching of deceased donor organswith individuals waiting for an organ transplant. Currently, NOTAlimits federal support for the OPTN to no more than $2 millionannually. This is approximately 8 percent of the current cost ofoperation of the OPTN. The remaining 92 percent of operating costs arepaid with revenues generated by feeds the OPTN assesses transplantprograms to register patients on the national donor waiting list.

The authorization for funding has not been increased since theenactment of NOTA in 1984, when the total operating costs for the OPTNwere approximately $5 million. Right now, the projected cost ofoperating the OPTN in FY 2008 is approximately $27 million.

The legislation is named after former Congresswoman Stephanie TubbsJones who donated her organs and tissues upon her death on August 20,2008.

Costa co-founded the Congressional Organ and Tissue Donation AwarenessCaucus along with Representatives Camp (R-Michigan), Clay (D-Missouri)and Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida).

Bill Increases Funding For The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network For First Time Since 1984