HJ0034enr 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0034 Enrolled LRB093 11788 DRJ 15841 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 34

WHEREAS, Organs and tissues from a single donor can help more than 50 individuals; and

WHEREAS, Nationally, 17 people die every day waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, and every 13 minutes another individual is added to the national transplant waiting list; and

WHEREAS, More than 13,000 Illinois citizens have received organ transplants since 1987; and

WHEREAS, In the year 2002, more than 900 organ transplants were performed in Illinois and there were 4,584 men, women, and children on the waiting list at the end of the year; and

WHEREAS, More than 300 people in the State died last year while waiting for an organ transplant; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Organ/Tissue Donor Registry, operated by the Secretary of State, is one of the most successful registries in the United States, and it makes use of the Illinois driver's license and identification card database to identify individuals who are willing to be an organ or tissue donor; and

WHEREAS, Donor Authorization provides an additional method to document the wishes of individuals to donate organs or tissues, or both; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created an Illinois Donor Authorization Task Force for the purpose of examining current Illinois statutes and programs regarding organ/tissue donation and making recommendations to the General Assembly concerning Donor Authorization; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Donor Authorization Task Force shall consist of the following members: 2 members of the Illinois House of Representatives, one of whom is appointed by the Speaker of the House and one of whom is appointed by the Minority Leader of the House; 2 members of the Illinois Senate, one of whom is appointed by the President of the Senate and one of whom is appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; and one representative from each of the following agencies and organizations as designated by their leadership:

(1) The Secretary of State or his designee,

(2) The Director of the Department of Public Health or his designee,

(3) The Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network,

(4) The Mid-America Transplant Services,

(5) The Illinois Eye Bank,

(6) The Illinois State Medical Society,

(7) The American Red Cross,

(8) The Illinois Nurses Association,

(9) The Illinois Hospital Association, and

(10) A representative from each transplant center in Illinois;

the Task Force shall also include other interested representatives as designated by the Secretary of State, including, but not limited to (i) a medical ethicist, (ii) a member of a donor family, and (iii) a transplant recipient or a member of a recipient's family; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the private sector members shall serve on a voluntary basis and shall be responsible for any costs associated with their participation in the Illinois Donor Authorization Task Force; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State or his designee shall serve as the chairperson of the Illinois Donor Authorization Task Force, that all members of the Illinois Donor Authorization Task Force shall be considered to be members with voting rights, that a quorum of the Task Force shall consist of a majority of the members of the Task Force, and that all actions and recommendations of the Task Force be approved by a simple majority of the members of the Task Force; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Donor Authorization Task Force shall meet at the call of the chairperson and shall receive the assistance of legislative staff; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Donor Authorization Task Force shall summarize its findings and recommendations in a report to the General Assembly on or before December 31, 2004.