Senate President and Acting Governor Richard Codey signs the "New Jersey Hero Act" into law

LIVINGSTON – July 22, 2008 - Senate President and Acting Governor Richard Codey, surrounded by families impacted by donation and transplantation, signed the "New Jersey Hero Act" into law at a press conference at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. This legislation represents a very important milestone for the state of New Jersey and will have a tremendous impact on the number of organs and tissues transplanted and lives saved.

The “New Jersey Hero Act,” will make New Jersey the first state in the nation to require two key components – organ donation decisions before applying for a driver’s license and mandatory high school education.  The NJ Hero Act will also create an interactive component to the already existing Donate Life Registry provided by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC).  New Jersey residents will have the ability to register online anytime—not just at license renewals. 

The law incorporates a comprehensive education component at the high school and collegiate levels. Under the NJ Hero Act, New Jersey would be the first state to incorporate mandatory organ donation education into the high school core curriculum. Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, school districts will be required to implement the component into the Health and Physical Education curriculum. At the collegiate level, institutions of higher education will be required to provide information on New Jersey’s organ donor policies either as part of the curriculum or through student health services. Medical and Nursing school education will also become mandatory.

Finally, the legislation requires that within the next five years every resident 18 years of age or older applying for a driver’s license or state identification card must first answer a few simple, yet potentially life-saving questions, regarding organ donation before a driver’s license or state ID is issued.

To date, 1.75 million New Jerseyans have said “yes” to donation on their driver’s license. New Jersey presently has more than 4,400 residents awaiting organ transplantation according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. In 2007, 696 life-saving transplants were performed in New Jersey. Over the last ten years, 2,470 New Jersey residents have died while waiting for an organ donation.

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