Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions
Floor Speech
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - March 29, 2007)
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By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. GRASSLEY):
S. 1035. A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reduce fraud and abuse in certain visa programs for aliens working temporarily in the United States; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
S. 1035
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By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. GRASSLEY):
S.1062. A bill to establish a congressional commemorative medal for organ donors and their families; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I am proud to be joined today by my colleagues, Senator GRASSLEY from Iowa, and Representative STARK in the House, to introduce the William H. Frist Gift of Life Congressional Medal Act. This important legislation gives long overdue recognition to the courageous act of organ donation and encourages others to become new donors.
This bill establishes a congressional medal to recognize organ donors and their families for their selfless acts of organ donation. The medal is named in honor of Dr. William H. Frist, a former transplant surgeon, later Senate majority leader, who first offered the Gift of Life Congressional Medal Act during his time in the Senate.
Nearly 100,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant. Over 2,000 are children under age 18. In my home State of Illinois, nearly 5,000 men, women, and children wait for a life-saving donation. Sadly, the national waiting list continues to grow every year. Since the waiting list began, at least 75,000 donation-eligible Americans have died waiting for an organ to become available; in 2005 alone, over 6,000 people died for lack of a suitable organ, including some 300 Illinois residents. Minorities representing approximately 25 percent of the population comprise over 40 percent of the organ transplant waiting list and half of the patients who die while patiently waiting for their gift of life.
Every 16 minutes, a new name is added to the growing list, while the hope of those who have been waiting for months and years at a time begins to diminish. To narrow the gap between the limited supply and the increasing demand for donated organs, willing donors must make their desire to donate clear to the only people able to make the decision if the occasion should arise--their immediate family members. Although there are up to 15,000 potential donors annually, families consent to donation for less than 6,000 donors.
Congressional medals are awarded to individuals who perform an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States. Is there a more outstanding deed or act than that of the gift of life? Over 21,000 Americans receive the gift of life each year through transplantation surgery made possible by the generosity of organ and tissue donors. The Gift of Life Congressional Medal Act would allow us to recognize these donors and their families and inspire others to become donors.
This is noncontroversial, nonpartisan legislation to recognize the selfless act of donating one's organ for another's well-being and to hopefully increase the rate of organ donation. I ask my colleagues to help bring an end to transplant waiting lists and give recognition to the faith and courage displayed by organ donors and their families. This bill honors these brave acts, while publicizing the critical need for increased organ donation. I urge all of my colleagues to support the William H. Frist Gift of Life Congressional Medal Act.
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
S. 1062
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