December 29, 2004
December 29, 2004
LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today made it easier for Michigan citizens to support organ and tissue donation. Granholm signed Senate Bill 817 (Public Act 502 of 2004) into law, paving the way for Michigan residents to support education about organ and tissue donation with a monetary donation.
“There are so many lives that have been improved or saved because someone said ‘yes’ to organ donation and tissue donation,” Granholm said today. “As Gift of Life Michigan often explains, when people don’t know about organ donation, they say ‘no’ when asked if they want to be a donor. This new law will support efforts to educate all of us about the value of organ and tissue donation.”
The new law establishes the Organ and Tissue Donation Education Fund within the State Treasury and requires the Secretary of State’s Office to provide operator or chauffeur license applicants the opportunity to make a donation of $1.00 or more to the Fund.
Those monies will then be disbursed on a monthly basis to the chronic disease division of the Department of Community Health exclusively for programs and initiatives encouraging state residents to place their names on the organ donor registry.
The organ donor registry is maintained by Gift of Life Michigan in Ann Arbor and lists those individuals who have indicated they want to be a donor at the time of their death.
The new law has immediate effect.
