Harder Introduces Bill to Increase Kidney Donations and Save Thousands of Lives

1/3 of the people currently on the kidney waitlist will die before receiving a kidney 

The bipartisan End Kidney Deaths Act will encourage kidney donation by providing $50,000 in tax credits over 5 years

STOCKTON – Representative Josh Harder (CA-9) introduced bipartisan legislation to save lives and encourage people to become living kidney donors. Right now, there are over 93,000 people on the waitlist for a kidney, including 19,000 people in California, and one-third are expected to die while waiting for a donor. Last year, fewer than 27,500 Americans were able to get a kidney transplant and fewer than 6,500 of those transplants were from living donors. Patients who receive a kidney from a living donor have better health outcomes – kidneys from living donors can start functioning more quickly and stay healthy for nearly twice as long as kidneys from deceased donors. 

Harder’s bill, the End Kidney Deaths Act tackles the issue head-on by encouraging people to donate a kidney to save a life. Only healthy adults are eligible to become kidney donors and after recovering from surgery, donors live full, healthy, and normal lives with one kidney. The bill will provide $50,000 in refundable tax credits spread out over 5 years for people who donate kidneys to strangers. Rep. Harder joined Representatives Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11-R), Don Bacon (NE-02-R), and Joe Neguse (CO-02-D) in introducing this lifesaving bill.

"Every year, thousands of families lose a loved one waiting for a kidney transplant. It’s devastating because it’s utterly preventable,” said Rep. Harder. “Our bill is simple: we encourage people to donate a kidney to save a life, and in return, the government gives them a tax break. A clear win-win for the donor and our society.”

If enacted, this legislation is expected to save the lives of thousands of people currently on the kidney waitlist. It will also save taxpayers an estimated $10 to $37 billion in long-term health care savings. There has been a significant increase in kidney disease in America, but no increase in kidney donors. This means more and more people will die on the waitlist unless something radically changes. This bipartisan bill aims to encourage more living kidney donations in order to save more lives.

Read the full text of the End Kidney Deaths ActHERE.

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