Support for Living Organ Donors

Section 1 of the bill creates the "CARE for Living Organ Donors Act" (act) to include benefits and recognition for living organ donors. The act includes:

• A list of provisions in current law, as well as in the bill, that may benefit a living organ donor;
• Certification of living organ donors by the department of public health and environment to allow living organ donors to verify their status as living organ donors, which may be required for a benefit or recognition;
• Authorization for a health-care provider to make a qualified payment to a certified living organ donor or an individual who will become a certified living organ donor for expenses associated with a living organ donation; and
• Before performing an organ donation recovery operation on a living organ donor donating an organ without an intended recipient, a requirement that a transplant center participate in a national-level organ voucher program or have its own internal organ voucher program that satisfies specified requirements.

Section 3 prohibits an employer from intimidating, threatening, coercing, discriminating, or retaliating against or taking an adverse action against an employee who is or becomes a living organ donor. Section 5 designates April 11 each year as "Living Organ Donor Recognition Day". Sections 6 and 7 create:

• The organ donation qualified payment tax credit, which allows a health-care provider that makes a qualified payment to a certified living organ donor for certain expenses related to organ donation to claim a refundable credit equal to the total amount of the qualified payment; and
• The living organ donor tax credit, which allows a certified living organ donor to claim a refundable credit equal to the total amount of qualified expenses the donor incurred in connection with an organ donation, up to $40,000.

Sections 8 and 9 create a distinctive special license plate for living organ donors featuring the statement "Living Organ Donor". Sections 2 and 4 of the bill make technical amendments to or relocate current law.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)