American Kidney Fund Applauds Passage of the Organ Donation Reform Bill in the U.S. Senate

ROCKVILLE, Md. (July 28, 2023)–LaVarne A. Burton, President and CEO of the American Kidney Fund (AKF), issued the following statement about the passage of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act (H.R. 2544, the House companion to S. 1668) in the U.S. Senate on Thursday. This bipartisan legislation allows the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to change how it contracts the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), allowing for increased competition for the management of OPTN and its critical functions such as logistics and information technology.

"Today, more than 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a life-saving transplant, and more than 90,000 are waiting for a kidney — the demand for organs is significantly greater than the supply. Last year, just 1 in 4 people waiting for a kidney in the United States were able to receive a transplant.  We owe it to the tens of thousands of people in need of a lifeline to ensure that we make meaningful improvements to the system that oversees organ transplantation.

"It is our hope that through the passage of this bill and the process that has begun to implement the federal Health Resources and Services Administration's Modernization Initiative, the U.S. organ transplant system will be safer, more equitable and more transparent. 

"We commend leaders in the U.S. Senate as well as the House of Representatives for their passage of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement Act and look forward to President Biden signing this bill into law swiftly."

AKF thanks Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN) and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) for their leadership on Capitol Hill.

Prior to the passage of H.R. 2544, AKF signed on to a letter commending the introduction of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act. AKF also joined other kidney organizations in a letter to HRSA welcoming the announcement of President Biden's OPTN Modernization Initiative and supporting its goals to strengthen accountability, equity and performance in the organ donation and transplantation system.