Pennsylvania bill would give tax benefit to living organ donors

(WHTM) – Two Pennsylvania lawmakers want to provide a tax benefit to living organ donors.

State Senators Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny) and Lynda Schlegel Culver (R-Columbia, Luzerne, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder) say their bill would remove “financial obstacles in the living donation process.”

Currently, the lawmakers say employers are eligible for tax credits for expenses associated with an employee’s organ donation. Their bill would allow living donors to “reduce their tax liability for unreimbursed expenses associated with the donation.”

“Organ donation has touched the lives of so many in the Commonwealth, including our lives, the lives of our families, and our communities,” said the lawmaker’s memo. “Living donors should not have their life-saving generosity rewarded with outstanding bills for lodging, transportation, and other donation-related expenses.”

The lawmakers say nearly 6,000 Pennsylvanians are on the organ donation waiting list.

In Pennsylvania, anyone can be a donor, though those under 18 need a parent or guardian’s signature to have the donor classification on their photo ID.

You can sign up to be an organ donor online or when you update your driver’s license, learner’s permit, or photo ID in person.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Program, Pennsylvania saw a decrease of more than 7,600 registered organ donors during the 2022-23 fiscal year compared to the year prior.

There were more than 2,000 organs transplanted during the 2022-23 fiscal year with nearly 10,000 referrals to the Center for Organ Recovery & Education and the Gift of Life Donor Program.

There were also more than 93,000 tissue grafts produced through tissue donation and nearly 1,400 eye tissue transplants.

Nearly 5 million Pennsylvanians are organ donors, which equates to about 49.31% of residents.