This bill, titled the "Permanent OPTN Fee Authority Act," authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect registration fees from members of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). These fees will be assessed for each transplant candidate that a member places on the organ waiting list, establishing a dedicated funding mechanism for the network's essential operations. The collected fees are exclusively designated to support the operation of the OPTN and are authorized to remain available until expended. The Secretary has the flexibility to collect these fees directly or through existing awards, with funds credited to the Department of Health and Human Services as discretionary offsetting collections, subject to congressional appropriations for distribution. To ensure transparency, the bill requires the Secretary to promptly post on the OPTN website the amount of fees collected from each member and a detailed list of the activities these funds support, updated quarterly. Additionally, the legislation mandates that the Comptroller General of the United States conduct a comprehensive review of these fee collection activities within two years of enactment, submitting a report with recommendations to relevant congressional committees.
This bill, titled the "Permanent OPTN Fee Authority Act," authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect registration fees from members of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). These fees will be assessed for each transplant candidate that a member places on the organ waiting list, establishing a dedicated funding mechanism for the network's essential operations. The collected fees are exclusively designated to support the operation of the OPTN and are authorized to remain available until expended. The Secretary has the flexibility to collect these fees directly or through existing awards, with funds credited to the Department of Health and Human Services as discretionary offsetting collections, subject to congressional appropriations for distribution. To ensure transparency, the bill requires the Secretary to promptly post on the OPTN website the amount of fees collected from each member and a detailed list of the activities these funds support, updated quarterly. Additionally, the legislation mandates that the Comptroller General of the United States conduct a comprehensive review of these fee collection activities within two years of enactment, submitting a report with recommendations to relevant congressional committees.