Legislation and
Legislative History
The following list represents a sample of the most important Federal
laws and regulations that have been enacted since the field of transplant
medicine began. This list is not intended to be all inclusive and
there are other Federal, State, and local laws that also may be
relevant in certain situations.
1984 — National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA —
P.L. 98-507)
Among other things, NOTA established the framework for the Organ
Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) within the United
States, the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, a government
unit within the Public Health Service (Division of Transplantation)
to oversee contractual activities of the OPTN, and prohibited the
buying and selling of organs.
1987 — Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA —
As Amended)
This version of the UAGA includes several amendments to the original
law promulgated in 1968 and facilitated organ donation by providing
a useful and uniform legal environment throughout the country.
1999 — Organ Donor Leave Act (P.L. 106-56)
This law increases the amount of leave time for a Federal employee
who wishes to be a donor — allowing 7 days for bone marrow
donation and 30 days for a living organ donation.
1999 — The Organ Procurement and Transplantation
Network Final Rule (42 CFR Part 121)
This document sets forth improvements made to the final rule governing
the operation of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network
(OPTN), published in 1998. The purpose of the final rule is to help
achieve the most equitable and medically effective use of human
organs that are donated in trust for transplantation.
2000 — The Children's Health Act (P.L. 106-310)
This Act amends the Public Health Service Act and uses the Organ
Procurement and Transplantation Network to address the special needs
of children under the age of 18 in health and organ transplantation
by adopting criteria, policies, and procedures that address the
unique healthcare needs of children; asks the OPTN to carry out
studies and demonstration projects to improve procedures for organ
donation procurement and allocation, including those children with
special needs, minority groups, and those with limited access to
transportation; provides for a study to determine the costs of immunosuppressive
drugs to children and the extent that health insurance plans cover
such costs.
2004 — Organ Donation and Recovery Improvement Act
(ODRIA — P.L. 108-216)*
The major provisions of this Act include: grants to States to support
organ donation awareness programs, public education and outreach
programs designed to increase the number of organ donors, including
living donors; the development of and dissemination of educational
materials to inform healthcare professionals and other appropriate
professionals in issues surrounding organ, tissue, and eye donation;
grants to qualified organ procurement organizations and hospitals
to establish programs to increase the rate of organ donation; financial
assistance to living donors to help defray travel, subsistence,
and other incidental non-medical expenses; mechanisms to evaluate
the long-term effects of living organ donation; and expansion of
grant-making authority.
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