S.C.R. 7

1

RESOLUTION SUPPORTING ORGAN
2 DONATION
3 2003 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Sponsor: Karen Hale
6 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor recognizes Utah's
7 communities, businesses, educators, service clubs, and interfaith organizations that
8 accepted the request of the Legislature and the Governor to organize efforts to raise
9 public awareness and education regarding organ and tissue donation to help save lives.
10 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
11 WHEREAS, in the 2001 General Session, the Legislature and the Governor approved a
12 resolution urging Utah's communities, businesses, educators, service clubs, and interfaith
13 organizations to organize efforts to raise public awareness and education regarding organ and
14 tissue donation;
15 WHEREAS, in 2001, Utah's Coalition for Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation, in
16 partnership with the Quest for the Gift of Life Foundation, filed for and received a $1.06
17 million United States Health and Human Services grant to develop an online organ donor
18 registry;
19 WHEREAS, in the 2002 General Session the Legislature approved legislation to
20 provide ongoing funding of Utah's new online donor registry;
21 WHEREAS, Utah's new online donor registry was launched at an event at the State
22 Capitol on April 16, 2002;
23 WHEREAS, Governor and Mrs. Jackie Leavitt, were the first to register online;
24 WHEREAS, Utah's online donor registry now has over one million donor registrations,
25 the highest of any state per capita;
26 WHEREAS, many decisions to donate after the loss of a loved one were made because
27 of the Partners in the Workplace community-based education program that was implemented to

28 raise awareness and education throughout Utah, involving local, state, and federal government
29 and businesses, communities, service clubs, educators, and interfaith councils;
30 WHEREAS, three Good Samaritan transplants with individuals donating a kidney to a
31 stranger occurred for the first time in Utah in 2002;
32 WHEREAS, on February 14, 2002, Saturn of Utah sponsored a national organ donation
33 event during the 2002 Olympics where Ken Moritsugu, the United States Deputy Surgeon
34 General, and United States Olympian Chris Klug's family spoke with over 250 guests in
35 attendance;
36 WHEREAS, the Quest for the Gift of Life Foundation brought United States Bronze
37 Medal Olympian Chris Klug to Utah to appear at the 4th of July Freedom Festival Parade and
38 Stadium of Fire Event in Provo, Utah, to help educate and raise public awareness and spread
39 the organ donation message to over 250,000 guests;
40 WHEREAS, the Utah Volunteers for Life organization has been organized with
41 hundreds of donor family members and recipients who have donated thousands of hours to the
42 community education program;
43 WHEREAS, in the state of Utah, the Celebration of Life Donor Monument is being
44 built on Salt Lake City's new Library Square to honor donors as heroes and to educate, inspire,
45 and motivate visitors to register as donors;
46 WHEREAS, this monument has been selected as the only monument to be built on
47 Library Square along with an interactive organ, eye, and tissue education center;
48 WHEREAS, Utah's new online donor registry, YesUtah.org, the Partners in the
49 Workplace community education program, and the Celebration of Life Donor Monument and
50 interactive education center are all receiving national attention and are models for other states;
51 and
52 WHEREAS, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services has acknowledged
53 Utah for its extraordinary efforts by stating that: "The grass roots networking and cooperation
54 that has brought Utah's organizations together is exactly what I envision the Workplace
55 Partnership for Life initiative doing. I am invigorated by your success and the outreach to . . .
56 organizations that has been facilitated. It is, in part, due to your efforts in Utah that we
57 currently have more than 2,200 workplace partners":
58 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the

59 Governor concurring therein, recognize Utah's local and state governments, communities,
60 businesses, educators, service clubs, and interfaith organizations for working together to help
61 Utah lead the way in raising public awareness and education so the lives of 84,000 individuals
62 currently on the national organ transplant waiting list can be saved.
63 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor express support
64 for the April 30, 2003 Celebration of Hope Event giving recognition to the Legislature, local
65 governments, the Partners in the Workplace education program, and the organ transplant
66 community for working together to implement meaningful organ donation initiatives to help
67 eliminate the existing shortage of transplant organs to provide all potential recipients a second
68 chance at life and creating a model for other states to follow.
69 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Utah
70 Association of Counties, the Utah League of Cities and Towns, Utah's Chambers of
71 Commerce, the Utah State Office of Education, the Utah Department of Health, the Utah
72 Coalition for Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation, the Quest for the Gift of Life Foundation, and
73 the Utah Attorney General's office.




Legislative Review Note
as of 2-13-03 10:31 AM

A limited legal review of this legislation raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel