02/01/2022 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

               SB 147-ORGAN DONATION; ADL RENEWAL                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:46:00 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR SHOWER announced  the consideration of SENATE  BILL NO. 147                                                               
"An  Act  requiring the  Department  of  Administration to  allow                                                               
individuals  to  execute  an  anatomical  gift  when  renewing  a                                                               
driver's license; and  establishing April of each  year as Donate                                                               
Life Month."                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:46:45 PM                                                                                                                    
KATIE  MCCALL,   Staff,  Senator   Mia  Costello,   Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska,  introduced SB 147 on  behalf of the                                                               
sponsor.  She  stated that  this  legislation  seeks to  make  it                                                               
easier for Alaskans  to register as an organ donor  and have that                                                               
designation appear  on their driver's license.  A larger registry                                                               
of donors  will facilitate these  lifegiving transplants.  SB 147                                                               
requires the Division  of Motor Vehicles to  give individuals who                                                               
are renewing their driver's license  by mail or online the option                                                               
to  be an  organ  donor.  She directed  attention  to the  sample                                                               
application on  slide 2 that highlights  the optional designators                                                               
on  the D1  driver license  application form.  The "organ  donor"                                                               
option will now be on the renewal forms.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. MCCALL reported that according  to Life Center Northwest, 150                                                               
people  in Alaska  are wait-listed  for an  organ transplant  and                                                               
over 100,000  are wait-listed in  the U.S. SB 147  recognizes the                                                               
importance of organ  donation by establishing April  of each year                                                               
as "Donate  Life Month."  This aligns  with National  Donate Life                                                               
Month that is also in April.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
She  turned to  slide 4  that describes  in detail  the uses  for                                                               
donated  organs, bones,  connective  tissue,  corneas, skin,  and                                                               
veins.  She  concluded  the presentation  highlighting  that  one                                                               
organ  and tissue  donor can  save or  significantly improve  the                                                               
lives of over 100 recipients.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:49:42 PM                                                                                                                    
MS. MCCALL presented the sectional analysis for SB 147.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
        Sec. 1  AS 28.15.101 Page 1, Lines 5-14, Page 2,                                                                    
     Lines 1-3                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Is  amended by  adding a  new subsection  requiring the                                                                    
     Division of  Motor Vehicles to  provide the  option for                                                                    
     individuals to  become an organ, eye,  and tissue donor                                                                    
     when renewing their driver's license  by mail or on the                                                                    
     department's website.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     This section  also requires  the department  to provide                                                                    
     information  detailing the  procedure  for organ,  eye,                                                                    
     and  tissue  donation  on  their   website,  and  in  a                                                                    
     brochure sent to each person  who renews their driver's                                                                    
     license by mail.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Under this section, the department  is also required to                                                                    
     notify the  individual renewing their  driver's license                                                                    
     that  the   information  on   their  license   will  be                                                                    
     transmitted to the statewide donor registry.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     This  section requires  the  department  to direct  the                                                                    
     licensee to  notify a  procurement organization  or the                                                                    
     department  if their  license is  destroyed, or  if the                                                                    
     donor revokes their anatomical gift.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     This section also requires the  department to carry out                                                                    
     the  requirements  of   Chapter  50,  Anatomical  Gifts                                                                    
     Registry.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Sec. 2  AS 44.12 Page 2, Lines 4-8                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Is  amended  by adding  a  new  section, AS  44.12.190,                                                                    
     establishing April of each year as Donate Life Month.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:51:42 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR SHOWER asked for a brief description of the fiscal note.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MS. MCCAL relayed  that the Division of  Motor Vehicles estimates                                                               
that 10  programing hours at  $115 per  hour will be  required to                                                               
add information  about organ  donor options  to the  website. The                                                               
estimate to  mail brochures about  organ donation  to individuals                                                               
renewing by mail is $379 annually.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHOWER asked the sponsor if  she would like to speak to the                                                               
bill.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:53:32 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR COSTELLO stated that she  serves on the Life Alaska Board                                                               
and it  was there she  learned that individuals must  renew their                                                               
driver's  license  in  person  if   they  want  the  organ  donor                                                               
designation  on   their  driver's  license.  SB   147  allows  an                                                               
individual to become  a donor when renewing  their license either                                                               
online or by mail.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHOWER  observed that the  bill could make  a statistically                                                               
significant difference in the number of donations.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR HOLLAND  asked if the  organ donor  designation continues                                                               
for individuals who renew their driver's license online.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR COSTELLO  offered her understanding that  the organ donor                                                               
website houses the  list of donors, but it is  easy to identify a                                                               
donor by the  red heart on an individual's  driver's license. She                                                               
deferred further explanation to Ms. McCall.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS.  MCCALL  suggested  that the  following  section  of  statute                                                               
provides the answer. She read:                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Sec.    13.50.140.   Notification    of   cancellation.                                                                  
      (a)  A donor  whose  motor  vehicle or  identification                                                                    
     document information  is on a  registry shall  notify a                                                                    
     procurement  organization  or  the  department  of  the                                                                    
     destruction  or  mutilation  of the  motor  vehicle  or                                                                    
     identification  document  or  revocation  of  the  gift                                                                    
     under AS 13.52.183 in order  to remove the donor's name                                                                    
     from a  registry. If the procurement  organization that                                                                    
     is  notified   does  not   maintain  a   registry,  the                                                                    
     organization     shall    notify     all    procurement                                                                    
     organizations that do maintain a registry.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS. MCCALL suggested the foregoing  clarifies that the individual                                                               
would need to notify the organization that has the registry.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHOWER asked Jeffrey Schmitz to respond to the question.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:57:20 PM                                                                                                                    
JEFFREY  SCHMITZ, Director,  Department of  Administration (DOA),                                                               
Division of  Motor Vehicles  (DMV), Anchorage,  Alaska, explained                                                               
that  individuals who  go  to the  DMV to  apply  for a  driver's                                                               
license are  asked whether they want  to be an organ  donor. This                                                               
option  is also  available  in the  online  application, but  the                                                               
individual must select the donor  option to move forward with the                                                               
process.  Somebody who  uses  a paper  application  also has  the                                                               
option to  select the organ donor  box but there is  no prompt if                                                               
they fail to notice that option.  He said that may be the impetus                                                               
for the  bill but it is  important to understand that  the option                                                               
to be an organ doner is available regardless of how an                                                                          
individual renews their driver's license.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:59:17 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR SHOWER held SB 147 in committee.