84R12947 BK-D
By: Zerwas H.R. No. 1150
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Through medical expertise and advances in organ and
tissue transplants, more lives are being saved, improved, and
prolonged than ever before; and
WHEREAS, Such transplants are made possible by organ
donations from deceased and living persons, a noble act that gives
multitudes of recipients a second chance at life; and
WHEREAS, The Glenda Dawson Donate Life Texas registry,
created by the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate in
2005, provides a method for willing donors to record legal consent
for organ, eye, and tissue donation, thereby lifting the
decision-making burden from families at the time of a loved one's
death; and
WHEREAS, More than seven million Texans have joined the
registry to date, thanks in part to partnerships forged with the
Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of
Transportation that enable citizens to sign up during the driver's
license, ID, and vehicle registration processes; gratitude for this
endeavor is also owed to the tireless public education efforts of
the donation community and their passionate volunteers in Texas;
and
WHEREAS, While the Donate Life Texas registry is a notable
step, more work remains to be done to ensure that the wishes of
every potential donor are carried out; the wait for a lifesaving
organ transplant continues for more than 123,000 people nationwide,
21 of whom are expected to die before this day is over; and
WHEREAS, Individuals representing the Texas Transplantation
Society and the Glenda Dawson Donate Life Texas registry are united
in their mission to educate Texans about the critical and rising
need for donors, the transformative impact of donation, and the
simple steps that can be taken to register; in 2014, 739 people
became organ donors in Texas, resulting in successful transplant
operations for 2,600 patients; and
WHEREAS, The choice of registering as an organ donor is one
that can provide hope beyond measure to men, women, and children in
need, and those who have committed to the goal of promoting and
facilitating donations truly merit special commendation; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize March 23, 2015, as Donate Life Texas
Day at the State Capitol, pay tribute to transplant donors and their
families, and encourage all Texans to consider giving the gift of
life through organ donation.