HR5259-119

What This Bill Does

The Permanent OPTN Fee Authority Act updates the federal Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network statute. It requires the network to maintain a 24-hour telephone or information-technology service and tells the Secretary to consider a dashboard showing transplant counts, organs entered into the system but not transplanted, and other statistics more frequently than annually. The bill authorizes the HHS Secretary to collect registration fees from OPTN members for each transplant candidate placed on the list. Collections may be direct or through awards, must support only OPTN operations, remain available until expended, and are treated as discretionary offsetting collections credited to an HHS appropriation, account, or fund. The funds are available only in advance in appropriations acts to distribute among OPTN awardees. HHS must post on the OPTN website the fees collected from each member and the activities funded, with quarterly updates. GAO must review the fee authority within two years for the Senate HELP and Finance Committees and the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Who Benefits and How

Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network operators benefit from a permanent fee authority tied to transplant-candidate registrations. Transplant candidates benefit if fee-supported network operations improve waitlist administration, technology service, and transplant data transparency. HHS Health Resources and Services Administration staff benefit from clearer authority to collect and distribute OPTN operating funds. Congressional health committees benefit from GAO review and quarterly public disclosure of fees and funded activities.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Transplant hospitals must pay registration fees for transplant candidates placed on the OPTN list. OPTN member organizations bear public disclosure of fees collected from each member. HHS budget officials must manage discretionary offsetting collections and appropriations-act availability rules. GAO analysts must review the permanent fee authority and report to congressional committees within two years.

Key Provisions

• Authorizes HHS to collect OPTN member registration fees for each transplant candidate listed.
• Restricts fee use to Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network operations and keeps collections available until expended.
• Requires quarterly public website updates showing fees collected from each member and funded activities.
• Requires consideration of a transplant dashboard with more frequently updated transplant and unused-organ statistics.
• Directs GAO to review the fee authority within two years.