Welch Joins Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Protect the Rights of Living Organ Donors

Apr 1, 2026
April is National Donate Life Month, which raises awareness for organ, eye, and tissue donation
WASHINGTON, D.C.– On the first day of National Donate Life Month,U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.),a member of the Senate FinanceSubcommittee on Health Care, cosponsored theLiving Donor Protection Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation led byU.S. Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)andKirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)to protect the rights of living organ donors.
The legislation would ensure living donors do not face discrimination from insurance companies; codify Department of Labor guidance that covers living donors under theFamily Medical Leave Act (FMLA)in the private and civil service; remove barriers to organ donation; and provide certainty to donors and recipients. U.S. Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12) and Don Bacon (R-NE-02) introduced companion legislation in the House.
“Organ donors offer one of the greatest gifts you can give someone—another chance at life. It’s an incredibly selfless act, and we should be doing all that we can to encourage more people to become donors. Eliminating stresses facing living organ donors is a big part of making that happen,”said Senator Welch. “We’re working to ensure that folks who make this incredible sacrifice to save lives get the protection and peace of mind they deserve.”
“Organ donors make an extraordinary sacrifice so someone else can have a new chance at life,”said Senator Cotton. “TheLiving Donor Protection Actwould encourage more donors to step forward by protecting them from adverse consequences like denial of coverage and job loss.”“It’s a tragedy that so many people die while waiting for life-saving organ donations. We must do more to remove the barriers that keep Americans from donating,”said Senator Gillibrand.“TheLiving Donor Protection Actwould help ensure that the individuals who are willing to save someone’s life through an organ donation can do so without worrying that they’ll face insurance discrimination or that they could lose their job as they recover. I am proud to be introducing this bipartisan legislation and will keep fighting to finally get it passed.”
“When an organ donor decides to donate one of their organs to someone else, they aren’t just saving someone’s life—they’re making one of the most selfless, difficult decisions anyone could ever make. The last thing they need in the midst of that challenging process is to be confronted by needless roadblocks or insurance discrimination,”said Rep. Nadler. “These roadblocks can make it economically impossible for potential donors to make that choice and, simply put, they are costing lives. April is National Donate Life Month, and I’m proud to introduce theLiving Donor Protection Actto bring awareness to this issue and knock down these needless barriers to lifesaving organ donation.”
“Our state is fortunate to have Nebraska Medicine, which has a robust living donor kidney exchange program, performing more kidney chains which involves anonymous donors donating to someone without a compatible living donor, than almost any hospital nationwide. However, some living donors are discriminated against when it comes to rates and provision of life insurance and disability insurance,”said Rep. Bacon.“They also don’t always receive adequate time to recover from the surgeries related to their selfless gift. This legislation will help open the doors to more living donors so we can save more lives.”
The bipartisan, bicameralLiving Donor Protection Actwould:
Senators Welch, Cotton and Gillibrand on this legislation are Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
Read and downloadthe full text of the bill.
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