BILL NUMBER: HR 19AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 25, 2011 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member John A. Prez ( Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos, Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Dickinson, Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Furutani, Beth Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gatto, Gordon, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Roger Hernndez, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Jeffries, Lara, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mansoor, Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell, Monning, Morrell, Nestande, Nielsen, Olsen, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel Prez, Portantino, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao, Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams, and Yamada ) JULY 14, 2011 Relative to National Minority Donor Awareness Month. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST WHEREAS, Organ and tissue donation are compassionate, life-giving acts looked upon and recognized in the highest regard; and WHEREAS, More than 110,000 individuals nationwide and more than 21,000 Californians are currently on the national organ transplant waiting list. While about one-third of these patients receive a transplant each year, another one-third die while waiting due to a shortage of donated organs; and WHEREAS, Nationwide, minorities make up 54 percent of organ transplant candidates and more than 60 percent of those awaiting kidney transplants. In California, Latinos make up 35 percent of those waiting for life-saving transplants, Asians and Pacific Islanders 16 percent, and African Americans another 14 percent; and WHEREAS, Minorities are more likely to need a life-saving transplant due to higher incidences of hypertension, diabetes, and hepatitis, conditions that can potentially lead to organ failure and placement on the national organ transplant waiting list; and WHEREAS, Minorities make up over one-half of the population of high school students in California according to the State Department of Education. These high school students will have the opportunity to make a decision about saving lives and joining the more than 8.5 million Californians who have already signed up with the state-authorized Donate Life California Registry to ensure that their wishes to be organ and tissue donors are recognized and honored; and WHEREAS, Donate Life California has developed a comprehensive Educator Resource Guide that includes many of the health education content standards for California public schools in order to fully inform students that all Californians can register with the Donate Life California Registry when applying for a driver license or identification card at the Department of Motor Vehicles. This Educator Resourse Guide includes lesson plans and educational DVDs created specifically for the youth population; and WHEREAS, A single individual's donation of his or her heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and small intestine can save up to eight lives. The donation of tissue can save and improve the lives of up to 50 others, and thousands of lives are saved and improved each year by donors; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly of the State of California proclaims the entire month of August 2011 as National Minority Donor Awareness Month in California. In doing so, the Assembly of the State of California encourages all California educators to provide their students the opportunity to be fully educated about the decision they will be required to make at the Department of Motor Vehicles, including whether to check "YES" when applying for a driver license or identification card, and about signing up at www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.