FINAL BILL REPORT

                  SSB 6667

                           C 59 L 98

                      Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Establishing the Washington gift of life medal.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Government Operations (originally sponsored by Senators B. Sheldon, Winsley, Snyder, T. Sheldon, Fairley, McAuliffe, Brown, Kohl, Rasmussen, Prentice, Patterson, Haugen, Loveland, Hargrove, Kline, Franklin, Wojahn, Jacobsen and Bauer).

Senate Committee on Government Operations

House Committee on Government Administration

Background:  Medical technology enables persons who receive donated human organs to see, to live longer, and to improve their quality of life.  Yet many who are in need of donated organs die on waiting lists due to a shortage of willing donors.

It is thought that increased public awareness of donors and their gifts of life and sight will encourage others to donate.  It is also believed that those who donate deserve to be remembered in a special way.

Summary:  A Washington Gift of Life Medal is established, consisting of an inscribed bronze medal awarded by the Governor at the request of the donor=s family and friends.

Organ donor is defined as an individual who makes a donation of all or part of a human body to take effect upon or after death.

An organ procurement organization is defined as any accredited or certified organ or eye bank.

An application procedure for the Washington Gift of Life Medal is specified.  Family members of the organ donor may apply or an accredited or a federally certified organ procurement organization may apply on behalf of the family member or person who consented to the organ donation as allowed in the statutes regarding human remains.  The application is made to the Governor=s office.  Eligibility is determined and the medal presented by the primary organ procurement organization.

Each eligible family of an organ donor is entitled to receive one organ donor medal unless more than one member of the family is an organ donor.  In that case, an eligible family is entitled to receive one medal for each family member who was an organ donor.  Duplicate medals may be purchased by eligible family members.  Anyone else wishing to purchase a medal may request the permission of the eligible family to do so.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate 44 3

House     87 1

Effective:  June 11, 1998