I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 941
To establish a congressional commemorative medal for organ donors and
their families.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 2, 1999
Mr. STARK (for himself, Mr. HORN, Mr. SPENCE, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. LEWIS
of Georgia, Mr. MOAKLEY, Mr. KLECZKA, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr.
FROST, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. LUTHER, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. BARRETT of
Wisconsin, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mrs. THUR-
MAN, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. WYNN, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr. HALL of Ohio, Ms.
NORTON, Mr. WAXMAN, and Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) introduced the follow-
ing bill; which was referred to the Committee 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 consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction 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 1999’’.
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.
SEC. 5. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and
Human Services or the OPTN contractor may provide du-
plicates of the medal described in section 2 to any recipi-
ent of a medal under section 4(b), under such regulations
as the Secretary of Health and Human Services may
issue.
(b) LIMITATION.—The price of a duplicate medal
shall be sufficient to cover the cost of such duplicates.
SEC. 6. NATIONAL MEDALS.
The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national
medals for purposes of section 5111 of title 31, United
States Code.
SEC. 7. GENERAL WAIVER OF PROCUREMENT REGULA-
TIONS.
No provision of law governing procurement or public
contracts shall be applicable to the procurement of goods
or services necessary for carrying out the provisions of this
Act.
SEC. 8. SOLICITATION OF DONATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treasury
may enter into an agreement with the OPTN contractor
to collect funds to offset expenditures relating to the
issuance of medals authorized under this Act.
(b) PAYMENT OF FUNDS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), all funds received by the Organ Procure-
ment and Transplantation Network under subsection
(a) shall be promptly paid by the Organ Procure-
ment and Transplantation Network to the Secretary
of the Treasury.
(2) LIMITATION.—Not more than 5 percent of
any funds received under subsection (a) shall be
used to pay administrative costs incurred by the
OPTN contractor as a result of an agreement estab-
lished under this section.
(c) NUMISMATIC PUBLIC ENTERPRISE FUND.—Not-
withstanding any other provision of law—
(1) all amounts received by the Secretary of the
Treasury under subsection (b)(1) shall be deposited
in the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund, as de-
scribed in section 5134 of title 31, United States
Code; and
(2) the Secretary of the Treasury shall charge
such fund with all expenditures relating to the
issuance of medals authorized under this Act.
(d) START-UP COSTS.—A 1-time amount not to ex-
ceed $55,000 shall be provided to the OPTN contractor
to cover initial start-up costs. The amount will be paid
back in full within 3 years of the date of the enactment
of this Act from funds received under subsection (a).
(e) NO NET COST TO THE GOVERNMENT.—The Sec-
retary of the Treasury shall take all actions necessary to
ensure that the issuance of medals authorized under sec-
tion 2 results in no net cost to the Government.
SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act—
(1) the term ‘‘organ’’ means the human kidney,
liver, heart, lung, pancreas, and any other human
organ (other than corneas and eyes) specified by
regulation of the Secretary of Health and Human
Services or the OPTN contractor; and
(2) the term ‘‘Organ Procurement and Trans-
plantation Network’’ means the Organ Procurement
and Transplantation Network established under sec-
tion 372 of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 274).
SEC. 10. SUNSET PROVISION.
This Act shall be effective during the 5-year period
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
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