Bill Text: PA HB1589 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Further providing for the membership of the advisory committee of The Governor Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust Fund.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-3)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-05-25 - Referred to HUMAN SERVICES [HB1589 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2011-HB1589-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 1965
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1589 Session of2011
INTRODUCED BY COHEN, MYERS, MANN, V. BROWN, CALTAGIRONE, D. COSTA, FABRIZIO, GODSHALL, JOSEPHS, KIRKLAND, KORTZ, LONGIETTI, MURT, M. O'BRIEN, PETRARCA, ROEBUCK AND VULAKOVICH, MAY 25, 2011
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, MAY 25, 2011
AN ACT
Amending Title 20 (Decedents, Estates and Fiduciaries) of the
Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for the
membership of the advisory committee of The Governor Robert
P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust
Fund.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 8622 of Title 20 of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
§ 8622. The Governor Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue
Donation Awareness Trust Fund.
(a) Establishment.--All contributions received by the
Department of Transportation under section 8621 (relating to The
Governor Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation
Awareness Trust Fund contributions) and the Department of
Revenue under section 8618 (relating to voluntary contribution
system) and the Department of Health under section 8617
(relating to requests for anatomical gifts) shall be deposited
into a special fund in the State Treasury to be known as The
Governor Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation
Awareness Trust Fund, which is hereby established.
(b) Appropriation.--All moneys deposited in the fund and
interest which accrues from those funds are appropriated on a
continuing basis subject to the approval of the Governor to
compensate the Department of Transportation, the Department of
Health and the Department of Revenue for actual costs related to
implementation of this chapter, including all costs of the Organ
Donation Advisory Committee created in subsection (c). Any
remaining funds are appropriated subject to the approval of the
Governor for the following purposes:
(1) 10% of the total fund may be expended annually by
the Department of Health for reasonable hospital and other
medical expenses, funeral expenses and incidental expenses
incurred by the donor or donor's family in connection with
making a vital organ donation. Such expenditures shall not
exceed $3,000 per donor and shall only be made directly to
the funeral home, hospital or other service provider related
to the donation. No part of the fund shall be transferred
directly to the donor's family, next of kin or estate. The
advisory committee shall develop procedures, including the
development of a pilot program, necessary for effectuating
the purposes of this paragraph.
(2) 50% may be expended for grants to certified organ
procurement organizations for the development and
implementation of organ donation awareness programs in this
Commonwealth. The Department of Health shall develop and
administer this grant program, which is hereby established.
(3) 15% may be expended by the Department of Health, in
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cooperation with certified organ procurement organizations,
for the Project-Make-A-Choice program, which shall include
information pamphlets designed by the Department of Health
relating to organ donor awareness and the laws regarding
organ donation, public information and public education about
contributing to the fund when obtaining or renewing a
driver's license and when completing a State individual
income tax return form.
(4) 25% may be expended by the Department of Education
for the implementation of organ donation awareness programs
in the secondary schools in this Commonwealth.
(c) Advisory committee.--The Organ Donation Advisory
Committee is hereby established, with membership as follows:
(1) Two representatives of organ procurement
organizations.
(2) Two representatives of tissue procurement providers.
(3) Six members representative of organ, tissue and eye
recipients, families of recipients and families of donors.
(4) Three representatives of acute care hospitals.
(5) One representative of the Department of Health.
(6) One representative of eye banks.
(7) One representative of federally qualified community
health centers.
(8) One representative of the Department of
Transportation.
All members shall be appointed by the Governor. Appointments
shall be made in a manner that provides representation of the
northwest, north central, northeast, southwest, south central
and southeast regions of this Commonwealth. Members shall serve
five-year terms. The Governor may reappoint advisory committee
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members for successive terms. Members of the advisory committee
shall remain in office until a successor is appointed and
qualified. If vacancies occur prior to completion of a term, the
Governor shall appoint another member in accordance with this
subsection to fill the unexpired term. The advisory committee
shall meet at least biannually to review progress in the area of
organ and tissue donation in this Commonwealth, recommend
education and awareness training programs, recommend priorities
in expenditures from the fund and advise the Secretary of Health
on matters relating to administration of the fund. The advisory
committee shall recommend legislation as it deems necessary to
fulfill the purposes of this chapter. The advisory committee
shall submit a report concerning its activities and progress to
the General Assembly within 30 days prior to the expiration of
each legislative session. The Department of Health shall
reimburse members of the advisory committee for all necessary
and reasonable travel and other expenses incurred in the
performance of their duties under this section.
(d) Reports.--The Department of Health and the Department of
Education shall submit an annual report to the General Assembly
on expenditures of fund moneys and any progress made in reducing
the number of potential donors who were not identified.
(e) Definition.--As used in this section, the term "vital
organ" means a heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas, small
bowel, large bowel or stomach for the purpose of
transplantation.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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