Capitol Update: Sharing Our Story
Dear Friends,
Last week, the Texas Senate passed SB 1249 by a unanimous 31-0 vote to establish the first-ever Living Donor Education Program in Texas. Today, the bill was referred to the House Public Health Committee as its next step to becoming law.
I had the honor of developing this legislation in conjunction with Donate Life Texas as a way to spread the word about the new National Donate Life Living Donor Registry, which successfully completed its pilot phase here in Texas in 2021 and is under development for nationwide expansion in the years ahead.
Throughout this process, we’ve learned a truly astounding statistic…
Of the nearly 10,000 Texans and 100,000 Americans currently on the transplant waitlist, 96% are waiting for an organ that could be provided through the generosity of a living donor who feels called to step up and be someone’s hero – someone like my son-in-law, Greg, who gave me a kidney last year.
We’ve shared our story with you before, and with April being National Donate Life Month, it’s a real privilege for both of us to share our story more widely now. We’re grateful for this opportunity to raise awareness about the new living donor registry and what the whole process of living organ donation is like.
The links below include a few recent interviews on this topic as well as other important legislative session updates if you’d like to take a look.
With sincere appreciation,
Kelly Hancock
State Senate, District 9
Chair, Committee on Veteran Affairs
Vice Chair, Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs
