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Who cares
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Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to health
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 60–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.421
- Referred to health
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Makes permanent the provisions of Lauren's law, providing for the election to or declining to elect to register in the donate life registry for organ and tissue donation
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Felix Ortiz
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend Lauren's law, in relation to making the provisions of such law permanent
Purpose or general idea of bill
The purpose of this legislation is to make Lauren's Law permanent; its provisions require individuals who apply for a New York State Driver License to complete the organ donor registry section.
Summary of specific provisions
By removing the expiration language of Section 6 of Chapter 465 of the Laws of 2012, this bill would make the provisions of Lauren's Law permanent. The law is set to expire in 2016 if no action is taken to extend it or make it permanent.
Chapter 465 of 2012 amends the public health law to require the Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) commissioner to provide space on certain driver forms for registering or declining to register in the donate life registry. This applies to an application or renewal form of a license, non-driver identification card application or renewal form. On the application, in clear and conspicuous writing, an individual is required to check either "yes" or "skip this question" when answering the question "Would you like to be added to the Donate life registry?"
Chapter 465 also provides that the commissioner shall not maintain records of any person who checks "skip this question." Failure to check a box will not impair the validity of the application and failure to check "yes" or checking "skip this question" will not be interpreted as a wish not to donate.
Justification
Chapter 465 of 2012, named after a 12-year old girl who received a lifesaving heart transplant, is set to expire in October 2016. By making this law permanent the state's organ donation registry will be assured of consistent operation and promotion of donor consent. Perhaps most importantly, a permanent donor registry status will assure patients and families of patients that they will not be at risk of losing a lifesaving opportunity to receive a vital organ or tissue donation. As written the law requires applicants who fill out motor vehicle forms to affirmatively check that, "yes" they will be an organ donor, or to check the box stating that they are skipping the question.
According to the New York State Organ Donor Network, New York currently has the lowest Donor Designation Rate in the United States. Because of Lauren's Law the state will continue to promote and increase the number of organ donors while taking into consideration all of the individual rights of persons to decline enrollment into the program. The lifesaving value to our state residents of a permanent Registry cannot be underestimated.
Prior legislative history
New bill
Fiscal implications
None
Effective date
Immediately
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.