Rep. Will Duff Co-Sponsors Proposal to Promote Organ Donation With a State Tax Deduction

Report by Paula Antolini
March 30, 2017 12:35PM EDT

 

 

Rep. Will Duff Co-Sponsors Proposal to Promote Organ Donation With a State Tax Deduction

To better promote and facilitate the donation of life-saving organs and bone marrow, State Rep. Will Duff (R-2) has co-sponsored a bi-partisan measure to provide for a tax deduction to those that donate organs (liver, pancreas, kidney, intestine or lung) or bone marrow.

The proposal, SB-3 An Act Concerning the Donation Of Organs and Bone Marrow would allow an individual to deduct up to $10,000 from their income under the personal income tax to cover the unreimbursed cost of travel, lodging and lost wages incurred as a result of the donation, and (2) for donations occurring on or after January 1, 2018, allowing state employees to take up to thirty days of paid leave from work for organ donation and up to seven days of paid leave from work for bone marrow donation.

The legislation has the support of the New England Donor Services. They testified at the Public Health committee public hearing that the proposal would encourage more living donors.

The bill is near and dear to Rep. Will Duff’s heart, who is a double lung transplant recipient and grateful for the organ donations he received that saved his life.

“I will tell you that experience has shown that living organ donors often incur significant expenses in connection with their substantial decision to donate. To make a tax deduction available to these lifesavers would be an important recognition on the part of Connecticut that it values this decision to become a living donor by assisting with a small portion of the costs associated with becoming a living donor,” said Rep. Will Duff. “Let’s make the act of becoming a living donor less of an economic burden for those who decide to save a life.”

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