Left to Right: Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams, Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks’ Trust for Life Executive Director Shelley Snyder and
Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates CEO Julie Bergin testifying in support of Senate Bill 77, an act relating to expanding organ donor registration.
FRANKFORT, KY – On Wednesday Feb. 6, 2019 A Senate panel advanced a bill that would allow citizens to join Kentucky’s organ donor registry when they log into a state website for governmental services offered online.
Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, testified that she introduced the measure, known as Senate Bill 77, out of concern that Kentucky’s compliance with the federal Real ID Act of 2005 would have the unattended consequences of reducing the number of people placing their name on the registry. That’s because Kentuckians have traditionally signed up when they renew their driver’s licenses every four years. Under the Real ID Act, however, driver’s licenses will only have to be renewed every eight years.
Right now, circuit court clerks ask about one million people a year if they’d like to register to be an organ donor, but that number could be “sliced in half” because people won’t need to renew their licenses so often, said Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks’ Trust for Life Executive Director Shelley Snyder.
Adams added that registering is completely voluntary. More than 1.8 million Kentuckians, or about 60 percent of adults in the state, are now registered.
“Senate Bill 77 would allow Kentucky to lead the nation in organ donor registration opportunities,” she said. “Would it not be nice for us to lead in something positive and uplifting?”
The measure now advances to the full Senate for consideration.
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