Removes the prohibition on patient participation in multiple transplant programs in New York state.
Summary
A07617 amends New York’s Public Health Law governing organ transplant waiting lists. The bill removes the current prohibition that prevents a patient from being listed on more than one transplant waiting list maintained by organ procurement organizations serving parts of New York. In effect, it would allow patients to participate in multiple transplant programs or waiting lists for the same organ, rather than forcing a single-list approach.
The bill preserves the existing framework for organ allocation based on waiting lists and medical judgment, and it leaves intact exceptions for donor designation, organ sharing among procurement organizations, and commissioner-approved sharing agreements. It also retains the rule that organs brought into a service area are allocated according to the receiving area’s waiting list. The measure takes effect immediately upon enactment.
Impact
The bill would repeal the statutory language that bars a person from being placed on, or remaining on, multiple organ transplant waiting lists in New York. That change affects patients seeking transplants, transplant centers, and organ procurement organizations by allowing broader access to listing opportunities and potentially changing how patients navigate transplant program enrollment. It does not alter the basic waiting-list allocation system, but it removes a state-level restriction that had limited patient participation across multiple programs.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong, unanimous support for the bill: it passed the Assembly Health Committee 25-0, the Assembly floor 147-0, and the Senate floor 59-0. That pattern suggests broad bipartisan agreement that the existing prohibition should be removed. No committee transcript was provided, but the votes indicate the bill was viewed favorably across both chambers.
Contention
There is little visible opposition in the available record, since every recorded vote was unanimous. The main policy issue embedded in the bill is whether patients should be allowed to be listed at multiple transplant programs, which can raise questions about fairness, access, and how organ allocation systems should be managed. The bill also leaves intact a separate prohibition on giving preference based on a facility’s past or present procurement performance or relationship with a donor hospital, indicating some concern about preventing institutional favoritism in organ distribution.