Senator Gaston Leads Senate Passage of Bill to Expedite Life-Saving Organ Transport

Today, state Senator Herron Keyon Gaston (D-Bridgeport), Chair of the Public Safety and Security Committee, led Senate passage of a bill designed to help ensure that organs intended for transplant can be transported as swiftly and safely as possible.

Senate Bill 407, ‘An Act Authorizing the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to Issue Permits Allowing Organ Transport Vehicles to Use Certain Lights’, authorizes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to issue permits allowing organ transport vehicles to use any combination of steady or flashing blue, red, yellow, or white lights, with the exception of lights exclusively reserved for use by police officers or DMV inspectors.

“When a life-saving organ is in route to a patient, every second counts,” said Senator Gaston. “This bill cuts through unnecessary barriers and gives organ transport vehicles the tools they need to move quickly and safely through our communities. No family should lose a loved one because transport was delayed.”

Organ transplantation is among the most time-sensitive procedures in modern medicine. Viability windows for transported organs can be extremely narrow, making rapid transit a critical factor in patient outcomes.

According to the Vice President of OPO Relations, Legislative Affairs, Quality and Safety for the Nationwide Organ Recovery Transport Alliance, Timothy Snyder, there are currently more than 100,000 individuals in the United States waiting for a life-saving transplant. Over 1,000 of those individuals are in Connecticut, approximately 900 awaiting kidney transplants, 150 awaiting liver transplants, and 50 awaiting heart transplants. These individuals depend on the donation and transplant community for a second chance at life. Equally important are the donor families who, in their time of profound loss, say “yes” to organ donation to save others. Organ donation has steadily increased over the past decade. At the same time, federal organ allocation policies now require broader geographic sharing of organs, often across state lines. This increases transport distances and time sensitivity.

The EMS system remains focused appropriately on 911 emergency response. Organ transport is secondary to emergency calls. There have been instances where transplant teams arrive at emergency departments with a heart or lungs awaiting transport, only for the responding ambulance to be diverted to a 911 call. These delays can jeopardize organ viability and ultimately impact patient outcomes.

SB407 brings Connecticut in line with the urgent, life-saving nature of organ transport by giving the DMV commissioner the authority to issue the appropriate lighting permits for these vehicles.

This legislation enhances efficiency, preserves organ viability, and supports patient safety while maintaining appropriate regulatory oversight.