American Kidney Fund Applauds Rhode Island for Enacting Paid Leave for Organ and Bone Marrow Donors

ROCKVILLE, Md. (July 2, 2025) - The American Kidney Fund (AKF) commends Rhode Island for passing legislation (H 6065/S 0829) that provides paid medical leave to full-time employees for the purpose of donating an organ or bone marrow. The legislation was signed into law by Gov. Dan McKee on July 1.

The leave covers procedures, medical tests, surgeries and recovery, for a maximum of 30 days for organ donation. The legislation mandates that employees returning from leave must be reinstated to their original position, or an equivalent position with the same seniority and benefits. 

AKF played a leading role in the advancement of H 6065/S 0829, including testifying in support of the legislation in Providence, collaborating with local business community members to ensure the bill fit existing benefit programs and meeting with state Sen. Melissa Murray and state Rep. Joshua Giraldo, the bill's primary sponsors. 

"People who step up to donate a kidney to someone in need should be supported in every way, including in their workplace," said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO. "This legislation ensures that living kidney donors will not have to choose between making a lifesaving donation and maintaining their livelihood. We are grateful to Sen. Murray and Rep. Giraldo for their work championing this legislation and for their commitment to supporting living organ donors." 

Increasing living donor protections is an integral part of AKF's policy agenda. Since 2021, AKF has released an annual State of the States: Living Donor Protection Report Card, which grades states on seven categories of publicly reported legislation and regulations they have in place to protect living organ donors and encourage living organ donations. One of the categories is paid leave via state family and medical leave laws.

Most transplanted kidneys are from deceased donors, but patients may also receive kidneys from living donors. Living donation offers an alternative for individuals awaiting transplantation from a deceased donor and increases the existing organ supply. Transplants from living donors generally present fewer complications than deceased donor transplants and living donor organs typically survive longer than deceased donor organs. 

Over 105,000 Americans are on the organ transplant waiting list and more than 93,000 of them, or about 89%, are waiting for a kidney.  In Rhode Island, there are 362 people waiting for a kidney transplant.