Bill Text: HI SCR169 | 2019 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Designating April As Donate Life Month In Hawaii.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 17-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-04-15 - Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on JUD with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Eli, Gates, Holt, Nakamura excused (4). [SCR169 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2019-SCR169-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
169 |
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THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
DESIGNATING APRIL AS DONATE LIFE MONTH IN HAWAII.
WHEREAS, April is National Donate Life Month; and
WHEREAS, organ donation is the gift of a kidney, heart, lung, liver, pancreas, or other vital organ for medical transplantation to others in serious need; and
WHEREAS, organ transplantation is regarded as a standard medical treatment for a number of medical conditions and diseases, including chronic kidney disease, and tens of thousands of individuals receive life-saving organ transplants each year; and
WHEREAS, survival rates following an organ transplant are impressive, including one-year survival rates of ninety-six percent for kidney transplant recipients, more than eighty-two percent for heart transplant recipients, and more than eighty percent for liver transplant recipients; and
WHEREAS, donated vital organs from one person can save the lives of up to eight people in need of an organ transplant; and
WHEREAS, nationwide, an average of twenty people die each day due to a lack of available organs for transplant; and
WHEREAS, despite the growing number of successful transplant operations each year, more than one hundred thousand people nationwide remain on organ donation waiting lists; and
WHEREAS, in Hawaii, more than four hundred thirty people of various ethnicities are currently awaiting life-saving organ transplants; and
WHEREAS, Hawaii's population is composed of sixty percent Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and African-American individuals, and these ethnic populations are at the greatest risk for end-stage organ failure; and
WHEREAS, the majority of transplant candidates in Hawaii are awaiting a donor kidney, and the majority of the transplant operations performed in Hawaii are kidney transplants; and
WHEREAS, individuals may become organ donors by registering with a state donor registry; indicating "yes" to organ donations on their driver's license; expressing a desire to become an organ donor to family, friends, physicians, and faith leaders; and filling out and signing an organ donor card; and
WHEREAS, in Hawaii, individuals may easily register to become organ donors via the Donate Life Hawai‘i Registry or at a county motor vehicle registry location; and
WHEREAS, in Hawaii, there is a great need to raise awareness regarding the importance of and need for organ donation; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the House of Representatives concurring, that this body designates April as Donate Life Month in Hawaii; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all residents of Hawaii are encouraged to learn more about kidney disease, its risks, and healthy behaviors that can reduce the risk of chronic kidney and kidney-related diseases such as diabetes; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all residents of Hawaii are encouraged to learn more about organ donation and discuss organ donation with their families, physicians, and religious leaders; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, President and Chief Executive Officer of Legacy of Life Hawaii, and President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii.
Designating April as Organ Donor Awareness Month in Hawaii
