HB2027 Passed out of Public Health Committee!
Thank you to the House Public Health Committee members who voted the revised auniform natomical gift act (that governs organ and tissue donation) out of committee with a vote of 10-0. Thanks also to those who stayed around until 7 pm to testify: Sam Holtzman of LifeGift Organ Donation Center; two moms of transplant recipients; and Bryan Rollins, newest member of the Texas Organ Tissue, and Eye Donor Council. (Bryan is a kidney recipient who just completed his best time at the Capitol 10k race last Sunday!) Opposing testimony was heard from Dr. Pustilnik, who is a medical examiner from Galveston. While conceding that the bill was a good bill, Dr. Pustilnik stated the medical examiners have issues with some cases in which the family has given consent, but the ME’s office believes it must deny the organ(s) to preserve the evidence. Interestingly, the National Association of Medical Examiners has issued a white paper that instructs medical examiners on how to achieve a zero denial rate in ME cases. Rep. Kolkhorst, chair of the committee, recognized the concerns of the medical examiners and suggested that the opposing sides continue to work on resolving this issue. However, she didn’t want to hold up the bill for this, because of its potential to save lives, and because last session, we simply ran out of time in getting it passed and she didn’t want that to happen this session. Thank you, Madam Chair, and committee members. The revised UAGA clearly spells out who can give consent for organ donation; clarifies first person consent (whereby if a person has signed up on the donor registry or has a donor card, their wishes are more likely to be honored) and makes a host of other technical clarifications to the organ donor statute that will bring Texas into conformity with 35 other states that have already passed the revised UAGA.
