New York J 1812: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim April 2026, as Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Month in the State of New York

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J01812 Summary:

BILL NOJ01812 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORRIVERA

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Go to top J01812 Actions:

BILL NOJ01812 

&nbsp

03/20/2026REFERRED TO FINANCE

03/24/2026REPORTED TO CALENDAR FOR CONSIDERATION

03/24/2026ADOPTED

Go to topJ01812 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topJ01812 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topJ01812 Text:

Senate Resolution No. 1812

BY: Senator RIVERA

 MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
 April 2026, as Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness
 Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with
 the observance of National Donate Life Month

 WHEREAS, Organ and tissue transplantation has advanced from an
experimental technique to a successful mode of therapy; for many,
transplants mean an improvement in the quality of life; for others they
mean the difference between life and death; and

 WHEREAS, Each year, there are thousands of people waiting for
lifesaving organ transplants; many will die before an organ becomes
available; the need for organ donation is real and urgent; and

 WHEREAS, Nationally, the current waiting list for organs exceeds
100,000 and thousands more need tissues; in New York State alone, nearly
8,000 people are waiting for a transplant; more names are added to the
waiting list daily and the number of people on the waiting list far
exceeds the number of donors; and

 WHEREAS, To focus attention on the importance of organ and tissue
donation and to express gratitude for those who have already given the
gift of life, it is the intent of this Legislative Body to memorialize
Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim April 2026, as Organ and Tissue Donor
Awareness Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with the
observance of National Donate Life Month, which incorporates both organ
and tissue, as well as other donations; and

 WHEREAS, Citizens of the State of New York have, for many years,
been encouraged to enroll as organ, eye, and tissue donors through the
New York State Donate Life Registry, a secure database of individuals
who have chosen, upon their death, to donate their organs and tissues,
and may do so through multiple accessible pathways, including online
enrollment, registration through state agency services, enrollment when
applying for or renewing a driver's license or non-driver identification
card, enrollment through voter registration, and at various locations
and events held State each year; and

 WHEREAS, Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Month provides the
opportunity to help New Yorkers learn more about organ donation, to help
the thousands of patients awaiting transplantations, and to recognize
the critical need for organ, eye, tissue, bone marrow, and blood
donation; and

 WHEREAS, Many New Yorkers have set a powerful example, agreeing to
become organ and tissue donors and taking a selfless action which may
potentially save or enhance the lives of others, yet there continues to
be a shortage of vitally-needed organs and tissues and the disparity
between the number of registered donors and the number of people needing
transplants grows each year; a single person donating at the time of
their death can help as many as 75 people; and

 WHEREAS, No one knows when they or a loved one may need a transplant
to survive, or tissue to repair injury or treat disease; while there are
over 19 million New Yorkers, currently, an estimated 8 million are
enrolled in the New York State Donate Life Registry; and

 WHEREAS, The observance of Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Month
provides the opportunity to educate people, to encourage them to
consider organ and tissue donation, to add their names to the New York
State Donate Life Registry expressing their consent to donate, ensuring
that more lives are saved, and to inform their families and friends of
their decision; and

 WHEREAS, Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Month is also a time to
recognize and applaud the researchers, medical professionals, advocates
and volunteers, past and present, who have contributed so much to the
advancement of organ and tissue donation and transplantation and, most
particularly, to acknowledge and express our deepest gratitude for the
extraordinary generosity and altruistic gifts of deceased and living
donors and their families,