This section lets a person make a donor gift statement and requires Texas agencies to ask about organ donation, share registry information, and provide donation materials.
Sec. 522.153. STATEMENT OF GIFT; PROVISION OF REGISTRY INFORMATION. (a) An individual who wishes to be an organ, tissue, or eye donor may execute a statement of gift. (b) The statement of gift may be shown on a donor's commercial driver's license or by a card designed to be carried by the donor to evidence the donor's consent with respect to organ, tissue, and eye donation. A donor card signed by the donor shall be given effect as if executed under Section 692A.005, Health and Safety Code. (c) The donor registry or organ procurement organizations, tissue banks, or eye banks, as those terms are defined by Section 692A.002, Health and Safety Code, shall provide donor registry information to the department and the Texas Department of Transportation. The department, with expert input and support from the nonprofit organization administering the registry, shall: (1) provide to each applicant for the issuance of an original, renewal, corrected, or duplicate commercial driver's license who applies in person, by mail, over the Internet, or by other electronic means: (A) the opportunity to indicate on the person's commercial driver's license or personal identification certificate that the person is willing to make an anatomical gift, in the event of death, in accordance with Section 692A.005, Health and Safety Code; and (B) an opportunity for the individual to consent to inclusion in the registry and release to procurement organizations in the manner provided by Subsection (d); and (2) provide a means to distribute registry information to interested individuals in each office authorized to issue commercial driver's licenses. (d) The department shall: (1) specifically ask each applicant only the question, "Would you like to register as an organ donor?"; and (2) if the applicant responds affirmatively to the question asked under Subdivision (1), provide the individual's name, date of birth, commercial driver's license number, most recent address, and other information needed for identification purposes at the time of donation to the nonprofit organization contracted to maintain the registry for inclusion in the registry. (e) An affirmative statement of gift on an individual's commercial driver's license executed after August 31, 2015, shall be conclusive evidence of a decedent's status as a donor and serve as consent for organ, tissue, and eye removal. (f) The department shall distribute at all field offices Donate Life brochures that provide basic donation information in English and Spanish and include a contact phone number and e-mail address. The department shall include the question required under Subsection (d)(1) and information on the donor registry Internet website in renewal notices. Added by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1261 (H.B. 3283), Sec. 7, eff. January 1, 2016.