Illinois’s existing Organ Donor Leave Act has been amended by the Living Donor Protection Act (HB 2847). Specifically, the amendments add anti-retaliation protections designed to discourage adverse employment actions from being taken against employees who request leave.
Under the Organ Donor Leave Act, employees may take up to 30 days of unpaid leave per 12-month period to donate bone marrow or organs, one hour to donate blood, and up to two hours to donate platelets. The Living Donor Protection Act amends the Illinois Insurance Code, making it unlawful to (a) refuse to insure a living organ donor, or (b) charge a different rate, or refuse to limit coverage, for life, disability, or long-term care insurance, simply because an individual is a living organ donor.
HB 2847 also amends the Anatomical Gift Act. The Secretary of State has been tasked with creating a database of all individuals consenting to include their names in the First Person Consent donor registry maintained by the Secretary. This registry will become available no later than July 1, 2020, and organ procurement organizations will have access to this database.
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