Amended in Assembly April 13, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent ResolutionNo. 29


Introduced by Assembly Member Frazier

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(Principal coauthor: Senator Runner)

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(Coauthor: Senator Berryhill)

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February 23, 2015


Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 29—Relative to organ donation.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 29, as amended, Frazier. Donate Life California Day: driver’s license.

This measure would designate April 20, 2015, as DMV/Donate Life California Day in the State of California and the month of April 2015, as DMV/Donate Life California Month in the State of California, and would encourage all Californians to sign up with the Donate Life California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry.

Fiscal committee: no.

P1    1WHEREAS, Organ, tissue, eye, and blood donation are
2compassionate and life-giving acts looked upon and recognized
3in the highest regard; and

4WHEREAS, More than 123,000 individuals nationwide and
5over 22,000 Californians are currently on the national organ
6transplant wait list. While about one-third of these patients receive
7a transplant each year, another one-third die while waiting due to
8a shortage of donated organs; and

9WHEREAS, A single individual’s donation of heart, lungs,
10liver, kidneys, pancreas, and small intestine can save up to eight
P2    1lives, the donation of tissue can save and enhance the lives of up
2to 50 others, and a single blood donation can help three people in
3need; and

4WHEREAS, Millions of lives each year are saved and enhanced
5by donors of organs, tissue, eyes, and blood; and

6WHEREAS, The California Department of Motor Vehicles is
7celebrating 100 years of service to the State of California and ten
8years as the official partner of Donate Life California; and

9WHEREAS, A California resident can register with the Donate
10Life California Registry when applying for or renewing his or her
11driver’s license or identification card at the Department of Motor
12Vehicles; and

13WHEREAS, Nearly twelve million Californians have joined
14together to save lives by signing up with the state-authorized
15Donate Life California Organ andbegin delete tissueend deletebegin insert Tissueend insert Donor Registry to
16ensure that their wishes to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor are
17recognized and honored; and

18WHEREAS, Minorities are more likely to need a life-saving
19transplant due to higher incidences of hypertension, diabetes, and
20hepatitis, conditions that can potentially lead to organ failure and
21placement on the national organ transplant waiting list; and

22WHEREAS, Nationwide, minorities make up 58 percent of
23organ transplant candidates and 64 percent of those awaiting kidney
24transplants. In California, Latinos make up 39 percent of those
25waiting for life-saving transplants, Asians and Pacific Islanders
2620 percent, and African Americans another 12 percent; and

27WHEREAS, Minorities make up more than one-half of the
28population of high school students in California, according to the
29State Department of Education. These high school students will
30have the opportunity to make a decision about saving lives and
31joining the state-authorized Donate Life California Registry to
32ensure that their wishes to be organ, eye, and tissue donors are
33recognized and honored; and

34WHEREAS, Donate Life California has developed a
35comprehensive Educator Resource Guide that includes many of
36the health education content standards for California public schools.
37This Educator Resource Guide includes lesson plans and
38educational DVDs about organ, eye, and tissue donation, and the
39Donate Life California Registry created specifically for the youth
40population; now, therefore, be it

P3    1Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
2thereof concurring,
That in recognition of April as National Donate
3Life Month, the Legislature proclaims April 20, 2015, as
4DMV/Donate Life California Day in the State of California, and
5April 2015 as DMV/Donate Life California Month in the State of
6California. In doing so, the Legislature encourages all Californians
7to check “YES” when applying for or renewing a driver’s license
8or identification card, or by signing up at
9www.donatelifecalifornia.org or www.donevidacalifornia.org; and
10be it further

11Resolved, that the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
12of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.



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