BY MIKE MONTEMARANO
OF NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
TRENTON—A common-sense bill with overwhelming bipartisan support eliminating a fee to receive a duplicate license for those who become organ donors was passed into law on July 13 following Gov. Christie’s signing. The bill saves potential organ donors $11 in a fee associated with receiving the duplicate, which eliminates a small obstacle for those who intend to donate parts of their body to benefit others.
Intuitively, lawmakers felt it did not make sense for the Motor Vehicle Commission to impose an $11 barrier to becoming an organ donor and potentially saving lives. Each year, the waiting list for transplants grows in each state, and despite the constant growth in the amount of transplants performed each year, transplants only provide for a fraction of those in need.
The bill received near-unanimous support in the state assembly and senate and had support from seven primary sponsors, including Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi (R-River Vale) and Assemblyman Robert Auth (R-Old Tappan), and was co-sponsored by state Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Demarest).