HB58 Alabama 2020 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Debbie Wood

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2020

Title

Organ transplant recipients, discrimination against persons with disabilities prohibited

Summary

HB 58 (Exton's Law) bans disability-based discrimination in organ transplants and requires providers to make reasonable accommodations for disabled patients needing an anatomical gift or transplant.

What This Bill Does

It prohibits discrimination in eligibility, referral, waiting list placement, and treatment related to organ transplantation based on disability. It requires health care providers, hospitals, and transplant centers to offer reasonable accommodations and supports, including auxiliary aids and decision-making assistance. Disability may be considered only if a physician, through an individualized evaluation, finds it medically significant for the transplant; if the patient has adequate support, lack of independence cannot be used to deny care. It also requires modifications to policies and procedures to improve access and ensures accessible information and services, with certain limits to avoid fundamentally altering services or creating undue burdens. The act takes effect three months after passage and governor approval.

Who It Affects

• Individuals with disabilities who may need an organ transplant or anatomical gift, who would gain protections and accommodations in the transplant process.
• Health care providers, hospitals, organ transplant centers, and related entities, who would be required to provide accommodations, modify policies, and prevent disability-based discrimination.

Key Provisions

• Prohibits discrimination in receiving an anatomical gift or organ transplant or related services based solely on disability, including evaluation, waiting list placement, referral, and insurance coverage.
• Requires covered entities to provide reasonable accommodations, auxiliary aids and services, and supports such as supported decision making to enable access to transplantation-related care.
• Defines terms (e.g., anatomical gift, disability, qualified individual, auxiliary aids and services) and establishes who is a covered entity responsible for compliance.
• Allows disability to be considered only if a physician, after an individualized evaluation, finds it medically significant to the transplant; if the individual has adequate support, inability to comply cannot be used as a medical factor.
• Requires reasonable modifications to policies and procedures to ensure access to transplantation-related counseling, information, coverage, or treatment, unless the modification would fundamentally alter the service or cause undue burden.
• Includes measures to ensure access to information in formats accessible to individuals with cognitive, visual, or hearing impairments, and support networks in decision making.
• Effective date: the act becomes law on the first day of the third month following passage and approval by the Governor.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Disabled