For Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia, a Bronx Democrat, the issue of organ donation is personal.
One of her sons is thriving after waiting 16 years for a kidney, she said, while another is on dialysis, waiting for a breakthrough of his own.
“I am living this fight on two fronts, as a legislator and as a mother, and that is exactly why I will not stop pushing until we get this right,” Tapia said.
She’s a lead sponsor of legislation aimed at improving New York’s lagging donor registration rates by allowing New Yorkers to do so when filing their online tax returns.
While 53% of eligible donors in the Empire State are registered, according to Donate Life New York State, the nationwide average is about 60%. Rates upstate are higher than those in the New York City metropolitan area, data show.
New York’s numbers used to be even lower but the state has become a leader in expanding ways to register, like when signing up for health insurance on marketplaces or obtaining hunting and fishing licenses.
“We've done focus groups, we've done surveys, we've done this research, this market research, the support is there, so it's a matter of getting the opportunity in front of them, and then they enrolled by the millions,” said Aisha Tator, executive director of Donate Life New York State.
Tapia’s legislation, called the Doorways to Donation Act, is sponsored in the Senate by health committee chairman Gustavo Rivera, also from the Bronx.
“This bill was vetoed last year, but we are hopeful that we can work with the governor's office and the Department of Taxation and Finance to pass it again,” Tapia said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul cited fiscal and operational concerns from the department as a reason. In a veto memo, she also said that most New Yorkers file their taxes using third-party software.
But the bill continues to have bipartisan support after passing the Legislature unanimously last year. Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes of Buffalo and Assemblymember Phil Palmesano, R-Corning, hosted an event Tuesday at the Legislative Office Building highlighting the legislation and the start of Donate Life Month.
“New Yorkers are good. If we just give them the opportunity to say yes, they will say yes, and that's what we've seen over past number of years,” Palmesano said. “There's no reason for this legislation not to pass and be signed into law, so let's work together.”
States like California, Maryland and Michigan already allow people to register as organ donors on their tax returns.
