S755

TRENTON – The full Senate today put New Jersey one step closer to becoming a pioneer in organ donation, approving a measure sponsored by Senate President Richard J. Codey and Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph F. Vitale, that would make New Jersey the first state in the nation to require two key components – organ donation decisions before applying for a driver’s license and mandatory high school education.

“Our goal is to generate a collective awareness about the importance of organ donation so that, hopefully, everyone who does want to donate will,” said Sen. Codey (D-Essex). “We want to move this important conversation out of the emergency room, where illness and injury already create a profound burden, and into the living room, where a thoughtful and deliberate decision can be reached without the pain of loss looming on the horizon.”

TRENTON – With Valentine’s Day upon the Statehouse, two leading Senate Democrats urged the legislature to shift the focus from getting hearts to giving hearts this year, by backing a bill aimed at increasing organ donation. The pioneering legislation, sponsored by Senate President Richard J. Codey and Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph F. Vitale, was approved by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today.

Bill S755, also known as the “New Jersey Hero Act,” would make New Jersey the first state in the nation to require two key components – organ donation decisions before applying for a driver’s license and mandatory high school education.