I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1505
To establish a congressional commemorative medal for organ donors and
their families.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 30, 1997
Mr. STARK (for himself, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. DELLUMS, Mr. KLECZKA, Mr.
UNDERWOOD, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN, Ms.
PELOSI, Mr. HALL of Ohio, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. BERMAN, Mr.
WAXMAN, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. EHRLICH, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr. RANGEL, Mr.
GONZALEZ, Mr. MOAKLEY, Mr. FROST, Mr. ACKERMAN, and Mr.
SPENCE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Commit-
tee on Banking and Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee
on Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To establish a congressional commemorative medal for organ
donors and their families.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Gift of Life Congres-
sional Medal Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL.
The Secretary of the Treasury shall design and strike
a bronze medal with suitable emblems, devices, and in-
scriptions, to be determined by the Secretary of the Treas-
ury, to commemorate organ donors and their families.
SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Any organ donor, or the family
of any organ donor, shall be eligible for a medal described
in section 2.
(b) DOCUMENTATION.—The Secretary of Health and
Human Services shall direct the entity holding the Organ
Procurement and Transplantation Network (hereafter in
this Act referred to as ‘‘OPTN’’) to contract to—
(1) establish an application procedure requiring
the relevant organ procurement organization, as de-
scribed in section 371(b)(1) of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 273(b)(1)), through which an
individual or their family made an organ donation,
to submit to the OPTN contractor documentation
supporting the eligibility of that individual or their
family to receive a medal described in section 2; and
(2) determine, through the documentation pro-
vided, and, if necessary, independent investigation,
whether the individual or family is eligible to receive
a medal described in section 2.
SEC. 4. PRESENTATION.
(a) DELIVERY TO THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES.—The Secretary of the Treasury shall
deliver medals struck pursuant to this Act to the Secretary
of Health and Human Services.
(b) DELIVERY TO ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS.—The Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services shall direct the
OPTN contractor to arrange for the presentation to the
relevant organ procurement organization all medals struck
pursuant to this Act to individuals or families that, in ac-
cordance with section 3, the OPTN contractor has deter-
mined to be eligible to receive medals under this Act.
(c) LIMITATION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), only 1 medal may be presented to a fam-
ily under subsection (b). Such medal shall be pre-
sented to the donating family member, or in the case
of a deceased donor, the family member who signed
the consent form authorizing, or who otherwise au-
thorized, the donation of the organ involved.
(2) EXCEPTION.—In the case of a family in
which more than 1 member is an organ donor, the
OPTN contractor may present an additional medal
to each such organ donor or their family.