Lawmakers To Vote on Creation of Living Kidney Donor Registry

Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Lawmakers To Vote on Creation of Living Kidney Donor Registry

This week, the California Senate is expected to vote on a bill (SB 1395) that would create the first living kidney donor registry in the country, the Ventura County Star reports.

The bill, by Senate Health Committee Chair Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara), would create the not-for-profit Altruistic Living Donor Registry to allow state residents to identify themselves as potential kidney donors (Lamb Gregory, Ventura County Star, 5/10).

Under the bill, when residents receive or renew driver's licenses or identification cards, they would be asked whether they would like to be an organ donor. If a resident does not indicate a preference on the form, a clerk will ask for clarification (Park, CNN, 5/10).

The registry would share information with organ procurement centers and transplant facilities throughout California in an effort to accelerate the donor matching process.

The system would help residents participate in:

* Direct donation, in which a living donor provides a kidney to someone they know; and
* Non-directed donation, in which a donor provides a kidney to anyone who is a good match.

The bill also would establish the California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry to track people who would like their organs to be donated after they die.

Supporters

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) supports the donor registry bill, which was co-authored by two Republican senators.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs -- who received a liver transplant last year -- also has expressed support for the measure (Ventura County Star, 5/10).

Timeline

If the Legislature approves the bill, it is expected to reach the governor's desk by July or August (CNN, 5/10).

http://www.californiahealthline.org/articles/2010/5/11/lawmakers-to-vote-on-creation-of-living-kidney-donor-registry.aspx