Senate committee extends organ and tissue donation fund | News

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved an indefinite extension of the Emily Keyes – John W. Buckner Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Fund, which was set to expire in two years.

Buckner’s widow, former Sen. Janet Buckner, D-Aurora, was on hand for the committee’s unanimous decision. It was her first return to the Capitol since retiring in January.

Emily Keyes, for whom the fund was first named, was a high school student at Platte Canyon High School and was murdered by a 53-year-old gunman in 2006.

The organ donor fund was started in 2007. John Buckner’s name was added in 2017. The fund relies on donations; the bill’s fiscal note says it receives about $437,550 annually. 

Senate President James Coleman, D-Denver, and Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, sponsored Senate Bill 122. Coleman told the committee the fund has been a critical resource in Colorado since its inception in 2007. The Donor Alliance, which operates the fund, is a federally designated organ procurement organization for Colorado and Wyoming and has been managing the fund since 2010.

Since 2007, 15 million donors have registered in Colorado, and 9,369 transplants have been made since 2010. Coleman said that extending the fund indefinitely will ensure the continued success of organ and tissue donation awareness efforts in Colorado.

Simpson noted that donations to the fund through the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles pay for education on organ and tissue donation, how it works, and how someone can make an informed decision about organ donation. “Continuing it in perpetuity makes good sense,” Simpson added.

Senate Bill 122 is a critical resource for the state, former Sen. Janet Buckner told the committee. She said her husband was “all about” organ donations and had signed up to be an organ donor, which can be done when signing up for a state driver’s license.

John Buckner died in 2015 from the effects of sarcoidosis, an immune disorder that impacts the lungs and other organs, and as a result, most of his organs were ineligible for donation when he died. But his corneas were unaffected, and they went to two men in Virginia. Janet Buckner said she stays in touch with those recipients, who tell her how amazing it is to have the blessing of eyesight because of her husband.

“This bill…supports the community and this is how we take care of each other,” Janet Buckner said.

Jennifer Prince of the Donor Alliance said they’ve proven the model works consistently and that the partnership with the Department of Motor Vehicles also works well. Since 2010, they’ve trained more than 120,000 Colorado students in transplantation science and distributed 10 million educational materials at events throughout the state. Prince said that the Alliance makes annual reports to the Department of Revenue that show how every dollar is spent. Prince explained that every dollar goes toward the education effort; administrative support is provided at no cost to the fund.

Tony Young of Elbert County said this week will mark five years since he received a heart and kidney transplant. “I’ve made it part of my mission to give back” and encourage people to register as organ, eye and tissue donors, he said. Young has also met the mother of the young woman who provided his heart and kidney through his work with the Donor Alliance.

The bill moves on to the full Senate.