Organ transport bill unanimously passes the Washington State Senate
(The Center Square) – Legislation that would help with the safe vehicular transport of life-saving organs to patients who need them has moved another step closer to becoming law after passing the Washington State Senate.
Senate Bill 1271 would allow transport vehicles to use red lights and sirens like other emergency vehicles when moving organs from one location to another.
The bill would also require organ transport drivers be at least 25 years old, current or former law enforcement officers, firefighters, or emergency medical service providers and have a minimum of five years’ experience operating emergency vehicles.
“As a member of the House Transportation Committee’s leadership team, I am incredibly proud of the work we have done on this bill, and I have no doubt the policy will save lives,” Rep. Sam Low, R-Lake Stevens, prime sponsor of SB 1271, said in a news release following the bill’s 48-0 passage by the Senate on Wednesday.
SB 1271 previously passed the House of Representatives on a 95-0 vote.
The bill was inspired by Seattle’s notorious gridlock.
A recent study by BetGeorgia.com revealed that the average travel time facing commuters in Seattle is more than 42 minutes, the eighth worst in the nation.
Results from a WalletHub study earlier this year weren’t much better, with the personal finance website ranking Washington the second worst state for driving.
Low spoke about the need for the bill during a Jan. 25 public hearing before the House Transportation Committee.
“During these difficult life-saving situations, time is of the essence,” he said. “When these organs are made available, usually during a tragedy, there isn’t much time to schedule everything from transportation and flights to deal with the inevitable traffic delays of our area. One of the difficult things to accomplish is getting an organ like a heart from the hospital through areas like Seattle traffic quickly, safely, and efficiently.”
Low added, “This bill allows a red light and siren to be used on organ transport vehicles so they can get from the hospital quickly to the airport to be transported to another city or state before it is too late.”
Scott Demczyszyn of the Nationwide Organ Transport Alliance drove that point home with his testimony.
“Additionally, the EMS system is already stretched thin,” he said. “Organ transports are a secondary mission behind 9-1-1 emergencies. There are increasing incidents…of organ teams standing at the hospital ER with a heart or lungs in a cooler and the ambulance was called away to a 9-1-1 emergency, causing a delay and causing some organs to be rendered non-transplantable.”
Because of an amendment included in the Senate-passed legislation, House Bill 1271 now goes back to the House for final consideration.
