Pulse on Policy: Logan’s Law
In this edition of the Pulse of Policy, we are delving into Logan’s Law, legislation enacted in Iowa in 2019. It allows hunting, fishing and trapping license buyers to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor, when purchasing hunting and fishing licenses, similar to registering when purchasing or renewing a driver’s license.
Logan’s Law is named after Logan Luft. At 15 years old, Logan died in an ATV accident. An organ donor by choice when he got his minor’s driver’s license, Logan’s organs saved five lives and his tissues and bones helped another 21 people.
We had the opportunity to connect with Logan’s mom, Wendy, about their experience. In this article, we are going to tackle their work enacting the law. We encourage you to also head to page X to read the moving story of the many lives Logan saved.
Beginnings
When asked what inspired Wendy to push for Logan’s Law, she told us how, shortly after Logan passed, her husband, Lenny, was listening to the radio and heard of a new law in Minnesota that allowed people to register to be an organ donor on their hunting and fishing license. It made him think…Most people only update their license every ten years, so even if they decide to be a donor, the registration may not happen in a timely manner.
Then and there, Lenny knew it was their calling to get this law passed in Iowa. It was more than fitting, as Logan was also an avid hunter and fisherman. Wendy and Lenny were motivated by the possibility that this could make a major impact:
“If people had the chance to register every year, imagine how many people we could reach.”
Lenny got to work that week and reached out to their local state Congressman to learn how they could begin the process of bringing this law to life.
The Making of a Law
Lenny and Wendy found champions in Iowa Congressmen Todd Prichard (D) and Waylon Brown (R ) who helped them write the bipartisan law. Not only did the law include the option to become a donor when purchasing their hunting and fishing license, but it also required that anyone taking the hunter safety course learn about organ donation.
When asked what advice Wendy would give to folks interested in engaging in policy change, she had several great tips to share
Identify a passionate champion
Writing the bill can be one of the most important parts to passing a law. We learned that finding a congressman who is passionate about what you are trying to accomplish can mean everything. It takes a lot of extra time and energy on their part, and you need to find someone who is willing to invest the time and energy.
Take a non-partisan approach
Make sure you understand that the more likely your bill is nonpartisan and can benefit your entire state, the more likely you will get support from both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Sometimes the difference between your bill moving forward or not is simply because there are too many bills on the table, or the committee chairperson didn't support it.
Be actively engaged in the process
It is so important that you become very involved in the process. Show up to the committee meetings, learn who your committee members are and request meetings with them, and find a group to lobby on your behalf.
Emotionally Prepare
Make sure you are prepared emotionally. Not everyone is going to agree with you or share your opinion. It is necessary to not make it too personal and be willing to invest in several years if you need to get your law passed.
A Powerful Impact
1488 people have signed up to be organ donors through Logan's Law since 2019.
Beyond Iowa: Expanding Logan’s Law
In her final remarks to us, Wendy drove home how important it is that we continue to encourage, inform, and educate across the country:
“We love nothing more than this to be a national law. The more opportunities we have for people to be asked or educated about organ donation the better off we are. We need to encourage people to have the tough conversations about our organ donation desires before we are in a situation where we have to.”
There are a handful of states that have passed legislation similar to Logan’s Law including West Virginia, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York and Indiana and there are several more states currently working on legislation. We applaud those taking the initiative to implement these laws and encourage those of you thinking about taking the plunge to create change consider reaching out to your local reps to get started!
This was originally published in TransplantNATION Magazine.
