Committee rejects bill to expand directed and autologous blood donations for planned surgeries

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted 2–4 to defeat HB156, a bill that would have required Utah hospitals and providers to allow storage and transfusion of blood collected through directed or autologous donation by a licensed vendor for planned procedures.

The sponsor said the measure — substantially the same as last year’s proposal — aims to increase patient choice and comfort and ‘‘augment the blood supply’’ amid shortages. The sponsor noted the bill would allow hospitals with an in‑house donation system to accept directed donations if they followed the bill’s requirements and federal safety guidelines, and that a medical doctor could refuse a particular donation if it was unsafe.

Opponents — including the Red Cross and its state medical director, Dr. Cole Elliott — urged senators to reject the change. Dr. Elliott testified the Red Cross opposes sending a message that the volunteer blood supply is unsafe, warned that directed donations can create logistical strain for smaller hospitals, increase per‑unit cost and produce waste when units are not transfused. He said, "autologous and directed donations create wastage when not transfused" and cautioned that directed donations from close relatives sometimes require irradiation to prevent graft‑versus‑host disease.

Family testimony highlighted the high stakes for some patients. Karen Danielson described her son’s treatment for neuroblastoma, saying he required 41 transfusions and asking senators to "please vote no on HB156 and protect the system that protects children like my son." Another parent who works for the Red Cross, Jenna Lynn Bishop, said pandemic shortages showed how perceptions of safety can reduce donations and urged senators not to move the bill forward.

Supporters argued the bill would increase donor participation and that the statutory language includes protections for hospitals and providers. The sponsor and backers said the proposal excludes emergency transfusions and would rely on certified vendors and standard screening; the sponsor argued it would ‘‘allow patients more flexibility and decision‑making authority regarding their own health.’’

Senator Stratton moved to recommend the substitute with a favorable recommendation but the motion failed. At the roll call the clerk recorded Senators Stratton and Grover voting in the affirmative; the motion failed by a 2–4 margin, and HB156 did not advance from committee.

Next steps: Because the committee voted against the motion to pass HB156, the bill did not move forward from the committee. The transcript does not record any subsequent referral or rework in this hearing.