Senate Bill sb0334c1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2002                            CS for SB 334

    By the Committee on Judiciary; and Senator King





    8-1885A-02

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to anatomical gifts; amending

  3         ss. 765.510, 765.512, 765.516, 765.517, F.S.;

  4         amending the declaration of legislative intent;

  5         prohibiting modification of a donor's intent;

  6         providing that a donor document is legally

  7         binding; authorizing specified persons to

  8         furnish donors' medical records upon request;

  9         revising procedures by which the terms of an

10         anatomical gift may be amended or the gift may

11         be revoked; revising rights and duties with

12         respect to the disposition of a body at death;

13         proscribing legal liability; providing an

14         effective date.

15

16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

17

18         Section 1.  Section 765.510, Florida Statutes, is

19  amended to read:

20         765.510  Legislative declaration.--Because of the rapid

21  medical progress in the fields of tissue and organ

22  preservation, transplantation of tissue, and tissue culture,

23  and because it is in the public interest to aid the medical

24  developments in the these fields of organ and tissue recovery

25  and transplantation, and in order to promote the general

26  welfare, save lives, and reduce sickness, pain, suffering,

27  disabilities, and medical costs of persons with organ and

28  tissue impairment, and to help alleviate the shortage of

29  organs and tissues available for transplantation and research,

30  the Legislature in enacting this part intends to encourage and

31  aid the development of reconstructive medicine and surgery and

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2002                            CS for SB 334
    8-1885A-02




  1  the development of medical research by facilitating premortem

  2  and postmortem authorizations for donations of tissue and

  3  organs.  It is the purpose of this part to regulate the gift

  4  of a body or parts of a body, the gift to be made after the

  5  death of a donor.

  6         Section 2.  Subsections (1), (2), and (6) of section

  7  765.512, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

  8         765.512  Persons who may make an anatomical gift.--

  9         (1)  Any person who may make a will may give all or

10  part of his or her body for any purpose specified in s.

11  765.510, the gift to take effect upon death.  An anatomical

12  gift made by an adult donor and not revoked by the donor as

13  provided in s. 765.516 is irrevocable and does not require the

14  consent or concurrence of any person after the donor's death.

15  A family member, guardian, representative ad litem, or health

16  care surrogate of a decedent who has made an anatomical gift

17  may not modify the decedent's wishes or deny or prevent the

18  anatomical gift from being made.

19         (2)  If the decedent has executed an agreement

20  concerning an anatomical gift, by including signing an organ

21  and tissue donor card, by expressing his or her wish to donate

22  in a living will or advance directive, or by signifying his or

23  her intent to donate on his or her driver's license or in some

24  other written form has indicated his or her wish to make an

25  anatomical gift, and in the absence of actual notice of

26  contrary indications by the decedent, the document is evidence

27  of legally sufficient informed consent to donate an anatomical

28  gift and is legally binding. Any surrogate designated by the

29  decedent pursuant to part II of this chapter may give all or

30  any part of the decedent's body for any purpose specified in

31  s. 765.510.

                                  2

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2002                            CS for SB 334
    8-1885A-02




  1         (6)  A gift of all or part of a body authorizes:

  2         (a)  Any examination necessary to assure medical

  3  acceptability of the gift for the purposes intended; and.

  4         (b)  The decedent's medical provider, family, or a

  5  third party to furnish medical records requested concerning

  6  the decedent's medical and social history.

  7         Section 3.  Section 765.516, Florida Statutes, is

  8  amended to read:

  9         765.516  Amendment of the terms of or the revocation of

10  the gift.--

11         (1)  A donor may amend the terms of or revoke an

12  anatomical gift by:

13         (a)  The execution and delivery to the donee of a

14  signed statement.

15         (b)  An oral statement that is:

16         1.  Made to the donor's spouse; or

17         2.  made in the presence of two persons, other than the

18  donor's spouse, and communicated to the donor's family or

19  attorney or to the donee.

20         (c)  A statement during a terminal illness or injury

21  addressed to an attending physician, who must communicate the

22  revocation of the gift to the procurement organization that is

23  certified by the state.

24         (d)  A signed document found on or about the donor's

25  person or in the donor's effects.

26         (2)  The terms of any gift made by a will may also be

27  amended or the gift may be revoked in the manner provided for

28  the amendment or revocation of wills or as provided in

29  subsection (1).

30         Section 4.  Subsections (1) and (5) of section 765.517,

31  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

                                  3

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2002                            CS for SB 334
    8-1885A-02




  1         765.517  Rights and duties at death.--

  2         (1)  The donee, as specified under the provisions of s.

  3  765.515(2), may accept or reject the gift. If the donee

  4  accepts a gift of the entire body or a part of the body to be

  5  used for scientific purposes other than a transplant, the

  6  donee may authorize embalming and the use of the body in

  7  funeral services, subject to the terms of the gift.  If the

  8  gift is of a part of the body, the donee shall cause the part

  9  to be removed without unnecessary mutilation upon the death of

10  the donor and before or after embalming. After removal of the

11  part, custody of the remainder of the body shall be made

12  available to vests in the surviving spouse, next of kin, or

13  other persons under obligation to dispose of the body.

14         (5)  A person or entity that who acts or attempts to

15  act in good faith and without negligence in accordance accord

16  with the terms of this part or under the anatomical gift laws

17  of another state or a foreign country is not liable for

18  damages in any civil action or subject to prosecution for his

19  or her acts in any criminal proceeding. Neither an individual

20  who makes an anatomical gift nor the individual's estate is

21  liable for any injury or damage that results from the making

22  or the use of the anatomical gift.

23         Section 5.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

24  law.

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  4

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2002                            CS for SB 334
    8-1885A-02




  1          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
  2                         Senate Bill 334

  3

  4       --     Removes the option to execute donor designations
                through unwitnessed signed organ donor stickers;
  5
         --     Removes language that vested ownership of a
  6              donated body or body part;

  7       --     Reinstates the requirement that two witnesses sign
                a uniform donor card unless a proxy signs instead
  8              of a donor;

  9       --     Reinstates the option to amend or revoke orally a
                donor designation as specified;
10
         --     Removes the limitation on the unnecessary
11              mutilation of a body part during the organ donning
                process.
12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  5

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.