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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Organ, bone marrow, and blood donations play an |
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essential role in a broad range of critical medical treatments, and |
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citizens across the Lone Star State can do their part by registering |
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to become donors and by taking part in local blood drives; and |
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WHEREAS, Although 95 percent of Americans support organ |
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donation, only about half are signed up to be donors, and only 2 |
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percent of the population is on the national registry for bone |
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marrow; moreover, while an estimated 38 percent of U.S. residents |
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are eligible to donate blood, less than 10 percent of that group |
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actually does so each year; and |
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WHEREAS, In Texas, registering to become an organ donor is a |
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simple and straightforward process; more than 11 million state |
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residents have already joined the registry, thanks in part to the |
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efforts of the Donate Life Texas organization; DLT works in |
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conjunction with the Texas Department of Public Safety to enable |
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Texans to register as part of the driver's license application and |
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renewal process; in addition, there are numerous centers for bone |
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marrow and blood donation throughout the state, and some employers, |
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including the State of Texas, offer time off or other incentives to |
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encourage donation; and |
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WHEREAS, Many individuals have devoted themselves to |
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furthering the donation effort, and Dr. Anh Nguyen Reiss stands as |
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a particularly inspiring example; a Houston physician who was |
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diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, Dr. Reiss dedicated the |
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last years of her life to spreading awareness of the need for bone |
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marrow donors; though she passed away on February 26, 2016, at the |
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age of 48, she and her family and friends helped more than double |
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the number of Vietnamese donors on the registry; and |
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WHEREAS, By taking the necessary steps to become donors, |
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Texans can be part of a life-saving process that benefits countless |
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men, women, and children each year, and the anniversary of |
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Dr. Reiss's death serves as a fitting date to focus attention on |
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this important issue; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate February 26 as Bone Marrow, Blood, and Organ |
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Donation Registry Day; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section |
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391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect |
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until the 10th anniversary of the date that this resolution is |
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finally passed by the legislature. |