Charlie W. Norwood Living Organ Donation Act
PL 110-144 (H.R.710), enacted 12/21/2007

121 STAT. 1813 
PUBLIC LAW 110–144—DEC. 21, 2007 
Public Law 110–144 
110th Congress 
An Act 
To amend the National Organ Transplant Act to provide that criminal penalties 
do not apply to human organ paired donation, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Charlie W. Norwood Living 
Organ Donation Act’’. 
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE NATIONAL ORGAN TRANSPLANT ACT. 
Section 301 of the National Organ Transplant Act (42 U.S.C. 
274e) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘The preceding sentence does not apply with respect to human 
organ paired donation.’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) The term ‘human organ paired donation’ means the 
donation and receipt of human organs under the following 
circumstances: 
‘‘(A) An individual (referred to in this paragraph as 
the ‘first donor’) desires to make a living donation of a 
human organ specifically to a particular patient (referred 
to in this paragraph as the ‘first patient’), but such donor 
is biologically incompatible as a donor for such patient. 
‘‘(B) A second individual (referred to in this paragraph 
as the ‘second donor’) desires to make a living donation 
of a human organ specifically to a second particular patient 
(referred to in this paragraph as the ‘second patient’), but 
such donor is biologically incompatible as a donor for such 
patient. 
‘‘(C) Subject to subparagraph (D), the first donor is 
biologically compatible as a donor of a human organ for 
the second patient, and the second donor is biologically 
compatible as a donor of a human organ for the first 
patient. 
‘‘(D) If there is any additional donor-patient pair as 
described in subparagraph (A) or (B), each donor in the 
group of donor-patient pairs is biologically compatible as 
a donor of a human organ for a patient in such group. 
‘‘(E) All donors and patients in the group of donor- 
patient pairs (whether 2 pairs or more than 2 pairs) enter 
into a single agreement to donate and receive such human 
organs, respectively, according to such biological compat-
ibility in the group. 
Charlie W. 
Norwood Living 
Organ Donation 
Act. 
42 USC 201 note. 
Dec. 21, 2007 
[H.R. 710] 
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121 STAT. 1814 
PUBLIC LAW 110–144—DEC. 21, 2007 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 710 (S. 487): 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 153 (2007): 
Mar. 6, 7, considered and passed House. 
July 9, considered and passed Senate, amended. 
Dec. 4, House concurred in Senate amendment with amendments pursuant 
to H. Res. 837. 
Dec. 6, Senate concurred in House amendments. 
‘‘(F) Other than as described in subparagraph (E), no 
valuable consideration is knowingly acquired, received, or 
otherwise transferred with respect to the human organs 
referred to in such subparagraph.’’. 
SEC. 3. REPORT. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress 
a report that details the progress made towards understanding 
the long-term health effects of living organ donation. 
SEC. 4. NO IMPACT ON SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST FUND. 
Nothing in this Act (or an amendment made by this Act) 
shall be construed to alter or amend the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 301 et seq.) (or any regulation promulgated under that 
Act). 
Approved December 21, 2007. 
42 USC 274e 
note. 
42 USC 273b. 
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