Living organ donors get clearer protections, fairer reimbursement
H.R. 628 — Honor Our Living Donors Act · Filed by Jay Obernolte (R-CA) · 12 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 22, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends the federal organ donation reimbursement program to prohibit grant recipients from considering an organ recipient's income when deciding how much to reimburse living donors for their expenses. It also removes language suggesting organ recipients should expect to make payments, and requires annual reporting on whether the program has adequate funding to cover all donor expenses.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward equity protection: it removes income-based discrimination in donor reimbursement and mandates transparency reporting. The functional effect is to strengthen protections for living organ donors.
What the text implies
- Removal of recipient-payment expectations may increase donation rates by eliminating implicit pressure on recipients to compensate donors, potentially expanding the donor pool.
- Annual reporting requirement creates public accountability for program funding adequacy, which may trigger appropriations pressure if shortfalls are documented.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who it affects
Living organ donors gain clearer protections: reimbursement is no longer reduced based on recipient income, and the program must report annually on funding adequacy. This removes a potential disincentive to donation and ensures equitable treatment of donors regardless of recipient wealth.