This bill authorizes HRSA to directly collect registration fees from organ transplant network members for three years, rather than through a contractor. It also supports electronic health record integration and requires a dashboard showing transplant network statistics.
Latest Action
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
AI Summary
Plain-English explanation of this bill
This bill authorizes HRSA to directly collect registration fees from organ transplant network members for three years, rather than through a contractor. It also supports electronic health record integration and requires a dashboard showing transplant network statistics.
Last updated: 1/5/2026
Official Summary
Congressional Research Service summary
<p><strong>OPTN Fee Collection Authority Act</strong></p><p>This bill authorizes the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), for three years, to collect registration fees directly from a member of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) (e.g., organ procurement organizations and transplant hospitals) for each transplant candidate the member places on the waiting list. </p><p> Registration fees for the OPTN were historically collected through a contractor. The bill authorizes HRSA, for three years following the bill’s enactment, to collect registration fees directly from OPTN members for each candidate they place on the list and distribute the fees to support the operation of the OPTN. HRSA must publish on the OPTN website the amount of fees collected from each member and their use.</p><p>The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a review relating to the registration fees and report to Congress within two years after the bill’s enactment.</p><p>Additionally, the bill supports (1) the integration of electronic health records systems into the OPTN, such as automated referrals and granting procurement organizations access to records of potential donors; and (2) the establishment of a dashboard to display statistics relating to the OPTN.</p>
Key Points
Main provisions of the bill
Authorizes HRSA to collect OPTN registration fees directly
Three-year authority for direct fee collection
Supports electronic health record integration
Creates dashboard for transplant statistics
Requires GAO review and congressional report
How This Impacts Americans
Potential effects on citizens and communities
The organ transplant network would have more direct federal oversight of fee collection. Electronic health records integration could speed up donor referrals and improve coordination between hospitals and procurement organizations.
Policy Areas
Primary Policy Area
Health
Related Subjects
Computers and information technology
Congressional oversight
Government studies and investigations
Health information and medical records
Organ and tissue donation and transplantation
User charges and fees
Scope & Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Level
federal
Congressional Session
119th Congress
Citation Reference
532, 119th Congress (2025). "OPTN Fee Collection Authority Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-532
