On April 3, Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12) and Lizzie Fletcher (R-TX-07) along with Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Chris Murphy (R-CT) reintroduced the Consensual Donation and Research Integrity Act. The bill will provide oversight and create standards for non-transplant tissue/body donation, which is currently unregulated and separate from highly regulated organ and tissue donation for human implantation. It will help ensure transparency as families consider the options for the disposition of remains upon the death of a loved one, as well as the proper final disposition after donation.
ICCFA supports the Consensual Donation and Research Integrity Act because it will benefit members who support families through the deathcare process and are highly respective of their needs. The poor and elderly are often enticed to donate their loved one’s body to science because some non-transplant tissue banks collect the body, transport it, and cremate it for free. This bill will create transparency in the tissue/body donation process by creating registration, inspection, tracking, labeling, packaging, and proper final disposition standards. In addition, the bill establishes fees to pay for the monitoring and violations.
During our Capitol Hill Day on April 2, ICCFA members advocated for the Consensual Donation and Research Integrity Act and had the chance to meet with Representative Bilirakis and staff for Representative Lizzie Fletcher.
