Congress clarifies organ donors get job protection during recovery

What it does

This bill clarifies that employees who undergo surgery to donate an organ—and their recovery period—qualify as a 'serious health condition' under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), entitling them to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. For federal employees, it also allows them to use other available paid leave (like sick leave) to cover organ-donation recovery time before drawing on FMLA leave.

Why we flagged it

The bill is a straightforward amendment to labor law that clarifies and expands protections for a specific category of workers—those donating organs. It is not a tax measure, appropriation, or regulatory carve-out; it is a rights-clarification statute.

What the text implies

• Removes ambiguity that may have previously discouraged organ donation by workers fearful of job loss, potentially increasing organ-donor supply and transplant availability.
• Federal employees gain a concrete advantage over private-sector workers: the ability to substitute paid leave for FMLA leave during organ-donation recovery, reducing financial hardship.
• The bill does not mandate paid leave for private-sector employees—only job protection—so workers in low-wage jobs may still face financial pressure during unpaid recovery.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Ordinary workers gain explicit legal protection for a medically necessary procedure (organ donation) that previously existed in a gray zone. Employees can now donate organs without fear of losing their jobs or being forced to choose between recovery and employment. Federal employees gain an additional benefit: the ability to use accrued paid leave for recovery before FMLA leave kicks in, reducing unpaid-leave burden.

Named in the bill

Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, Title 5, United States Code, Section 101(11) FMLA, Section 6381(5) federal leave law, Section 6382(d)(1) federal leave law, Section 6327 federal leave law

Where it stands

168 cosponsors: 131 Democrats, 37 Republicans.

• Jul 22, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jul 22, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on House Administration and House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

17 lobbying clients named this bill on 27 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $10,965,837 in lobbying spend. A filing names 8 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 96% of bills with at least one filing.

Don Bacon, the sponsor, reported $513,000 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Council of Life Insurers — $4,085,837 on 3 filings
• The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company — $3,130,000 on 3 filings
• Fresenius Medical Care North America — $1,190,000 on 1 filing
• Dialysis Patient Citizens — $500,000 on 1 filing
• Pacific Life Insurance Company — $480,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.