City Council Moves To Guarantee Paid Leave And Income Replacement For Living Organ Or Bone Marrow Donors

Frank Morano Advances Bill To Protect Living kidney, liver And bone marrow Donors

USA: Frank Morano is urging the New York City Council’s Committee on Health to approve a bill that would support living organ and bone marrow donors, with a hearing scheduled April 22 at 1 p.m. in the council chamber at 250 Broadway, 8th floor. The proposal would guarantee job-protected time off for workers who become living donors and create a municipal wage-replacement program so donors do not face financial penalties for recovery and missed work.

The measure also calls for a public honor roll recognizing donors and has been broadened from an initial focus on city employees to cover workers across New York City. Backers say the central aim of the legislation is to remove the financial and logistical barriers that keep willing people from donating a kidney, a portion of their liver, or bone marrow, and to strengthen local transplantation capacity.

Morano frames the bill in personal terms: he highlights the life-extending impact of transplantation and recalls Coach Mike Reap, who received a liver transplant about a decade ago and was able to spend many more years with family and friends. The proposal’s advocates point to thousands of New Yorkers still waiting for transplants and to dialysis patients who could benefit from increased living-donor options.

The council hearing will accept in-person, remote, and written testimony; Morano’s office is inviting recipients, donors, family members, and others affected by transplantation to speak. Supporters say the bill aims to make lifesaving donation a realistic option, not a financial sacrifice.

Video originally published on 2026-04-14 12:27:06