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Senate committee backs bill to record both 'yes' and 'no' organ-donor choices on DMV records
Summary
The Senate Committee on Transportation advanced SB 252 after testimony that Louisiana’s current practice can leave a deceased person’s refusal unrecorded; the bill would require the Office of Motor Vehicles to record both affirmative and negative donor selections and clarify revocation procedures.
Senators advanced legislation aimed at fixing how Louisiana records organ-donation decisions on driver’s licenses and in the state registry. Sponsor Sen. Pressley said SB 252 would require the Office of Motor Vehicles to record both affirmative and negative responses when applicants are asked whether they wish to be organ donors, so a refusal is as clearly documented as consent.
Dr. Jeff White, a cardiologist from Shreveport, told the committee the measure complements other bills to improve the donor registry and would prevent tragic confusion during bereavement. Attorney Tony Trumontana recounted a 2008 case in which a family member said the deceased had earlier told DMV staff she did not wish to donate but the registry later showed the person as a donor; Trumontana said the family’s confusion and the lack of a clear, recorded revocation produced “devastating” emotional harm for surviving relatives.
Bailey Morse, chief legal officer for LOPA (Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency), addressed federal oversight of organ procurement organizations and said the agency supports registry improvements designed to “reinforce protections around individual decision making autonomy.” Morse said better recording would both protect families’ rights and strengthen Louisiana’s transplant system.
Senators asked how the bill would change current practice and whether it raises costs or federal compliance concerns. Dr. White said the change is a procedural fix at the DMV and that hospitals do not bill donor families for donation-related costs; he described the proposal as ensuring that “no” is as consequential on the record as “yes.” Trumontana urged the committee to consider the human consequences of failing to record refusals, citing the family’s experience in which a loved one’s last wishes were not reflected in official records.
The committee voted to report SB 252 favorably without objection. The measure will move to the full Senate for further consideration.
