Gus Bilirakis: “I am pleased, Mr. Speaker, that the House is today considering H.R. 624, the Organ Donation Improvement Act of 2001. I…”

“I am pleased, Mr. Speaker, that the House is today considering H.R. 624, the Organ Donation Improvement Act of 2001. I want to thank my committee colleagues, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Barrett) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), the subcommittee ranking member, for their help in drafting this bill. The full Committee on Energy and Commerce approved H.R. 624 on February 28 by unanimous vote, which reflects the bipartisanship nature of this initiative. I also want to thank Secretary Tommy Thompson for making organ donation a top priority for his first 100 days in office. He has recognized the serious nature of this growing problem and intends to act quickly to increase organ donation efforts across the country. In fact, I received a letter from Secretary Thompson indicating his support for H.R. 624 and his intent to work with Congress to increase organ donation in the future.”