Honor Our Living Donors Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6020) to amend the Public Health Service Act to eliminate consideration of the income of organ recipients in providing reimbursement of expenses to donating individuals, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 6020, the Honor Our Living Donors Act, or the HOLD Act, led by Representative Jay Obernolte.

This legislation will support living organ donors who give the miraculous gift of life to patients in need and their families. Donating an organ is a selfless act. The financial burdens of donation should not stand in the way of people who are motivated to give the gift of life.

Organ donors often take time off work and undergo invasive medical procedures to help patients in need. Under current law, a living donor's ability to be reimbursed for qualified expenses is based on the income of both the donor and recipient. This has proven to be an unnecessary barrier to living organ donation and has resulted in most living organ donors financing their own donations.

The HOLD Act would ensure that more heroic living donors are able to access qualified reimbursements associated with organ donation.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the

gentleman from California (Mr. Obernolte).

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to testify in support of my bill, the Honor Our Living Donors Act.

Mr. Speaker, I think everyone can agree that there are few acts more selfless than a living donor donating an organ to somebody else in need.

There is a desperate need for those organs. We have over 100,000 Americans currently actively awaiting a donated organ to save their lives, yet we don't have enough donations to go around.

It will also come as no surprise that the act of donating an organ comes with substantial financial liability and risk for the donors. There is time off work to be considered. It is an invasive medical procedure with, in some cases, an extensive recovery. There are expenses like childcare and travel. All of these things make it very expensive to donate an organ.

That is why the National Living Donor Assistance Center was established by Congress, to help fund these badly needed donations. However, it is not enough. Over 90 percent of the active living donors who donate an organ currently do so at their own expense.

One of the reasons for that is because it is so difficult to qualify under the current guidelines. In fact, it is means tested so that it is dependent on the sum of the income of the organ donor and the organ recipient. I think we should all be able to agree that that is nonsensical. Only the income of the donor should matter.

That is why this bill is so important. This bill makes that simple change that will hopefully incentivize more people to undertake the selfless act of donating an organ.

I thank you for your consideration, Mr. Speaker, and I respectfully urge adoption of the HOLD Act.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6020, the Honor Our Living Donors Act, sponsored by Representatives Obernolte and DelBene.

Living donor donation is an important option for the more than 100,000 Americans on the national transplant waiting list. However, many people who would like to donate an organ have trouble paying for their related expenses. The National Living Donor Assistance Center reduces these barriers by providing reimbursement for travel, lost wages, and dependent care expenses to people pursuing living organ donation.

Currently, there are strict income restrictions on who can be reimbursed for being a living donor, including restrictions based on the income of the recipient. This bill would no longer limit donor eligibility based on the income of the recipient, allowing more donors to qualify for necessary assistance when donating organs.

This bipartisan legislation is an important step toward making living donation easier for those who choose to pursue it. It would also benefit the thousands of individuals anxiously awaiting an organ transplant.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in this effort to strengthen and expand the National Living Donor Assistance Center program. I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6020, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Obernolte for his very thoughtful legislation, along with Representative DelBene. I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 6020, and I yield back the balance of my time.