H.B. 530
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
Mar 29, 2023
SESSION 2023 HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK
H D
HOUSE BILL DRH40273-MG-127
Short Title: Advocacy for Bone Marrow Educ. & Registration. (Public)
Sponsors: Representative Crawford.
Referred to:
1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
2 AN ACT DESIGNATING THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER AS MARROW DONATION
3 AWARENESS MONTH; AND DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
4 HUMAN SERVICES AND THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES TO RAISE
5 AWARENESS THROUGH PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT BONE
6 MARROW DONATION AND BONE MARROW DONATION REGISTRIES.
7 Whereas, there are thousands of persons across the United States with blood cancers
8 such as leukemia and lymphoma, as well as sickle cell disease and other diseases, who could
9 benefit from receiving a lifesaving bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplant;
10 and
11 Whereas, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) operates the "Be the Match
12 Registry," and the first step to becoming a donor is to join this registry; and
13 Whereas, all that is required to register with the NMDP is to complete the online form,
14 order a registration kit, follow the instructions in the kit to collect a swab of cheek cells, and
15 return the kit to the NMDP in order to determine any potential patient matches; and
16 Whereas, a potential donor who matches a patient is asked to make either a bone
17 marrow or PBSC donation; and
18 Whereas, bone marrow donation is a surgical outpatient hospital procedure in which
19 the donor receives anesthesia and feels no pain, and the donated liquid marrow replaces itself
20 completely within four to six weeks; and
21 Whereas, PBSC donation is a nonsurgical procedure that takes place at a blood center
22 or outpatient hospital unit and involves a transplant of cells from circulating blood, with the donor
23 receiving injections of a drug called Filgrastim over a five-day period leading up to donation in
24 order to increase the number of blood-forming cells in the bloodstream, and then having blood
25 removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the
26 blood-forming cells, with the remaining blood returned to the donor through the other arm; and
27 Whereas, the donor's blood-forming cells return to normal levels within four to six
28 weeks; and
29 Whereas, all medical costs for the donation procedure are covered by the NMDP or
30 the donor's health insurance, as are travel expenses and other nonmedical costs, leaving only the
31 potential cost to the donor being time taken off from work; Now, therefore,
32 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
33 SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Knight-LeCount
34 Advocacy for Marrow Education and Registration Act" or "KLAMER Act."
35 SECTION 2. Chapter 103 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new
36 section to read:
*DRH40273-MG-127*
 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023
1 "§ 103-12.5. Marrow Donation Awareness Month.
2 The month of November of each year is designated as Marrow Donation Awareness Month
3 in North Carolina."
4 SECTION 3.(a) In order to raise public awareness about bone marrow donation and
5 transplantation and encourage North Carolina residents to consider joining a bone marrow
6 donation registry, the Department of Health and Human Services shall make available on its
7 internet website a public service announcement containing medically accurate information
8 regarding bone marrow donation and transplantation that is sufficient to allow an individual to
9 make an informed decision about whether to participate in a local or national bone marrow
10 donation registry.
11 SECTION 3.(b) The Department of Health and Human Services shall provide to the
12 Department of Motor Vehicles an internet link to the public service announcement authorized by
13 subsection (a) of this section, which the Department of Motor Vehicles shall make available on
14 its internet website. In addition, the Department of Motor Vehicles shall broadcast the public
15 service announcement authorized by subsection (a) of this section on monitors at drivers license
16 office locations across the State.
17 SECTION 4. This act is effective when it becomes law.
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