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Creates a new federal regulatory program that governs people and businesses that buy and sell whole human bodies or body parts for profit when those donations or transfers are used for education, research, or the advancement of medical, dental, or mortuary science (but not for human transplantation). The Department of Health and Human Services must register and inspect sellers, set annual fees to cover program costs (subject to appropriations), require detailed recordkeeping and labeling, set packaging and disposition rules, define key terms, and enforce violations with fines and registration suspension or revocation. The rules specify what records and package labels must include (for example, donor consent, chain of custody, a “not for transplantation” statement, cause of death, infectious-agent and serology information), allow limited exemptions (e.g., organ transplant network members, certain funeral professionals, and nonprofits that do not sell for profit), and take effect two years after enactment.
The bill improves safety, documentation, and family protections for donated human remains by imposing federal oversight and standards, but it also raises compliance costs, privacy risks, and legal exposure for organizations that handle donated bodies.
Students, trainees, hospitals, and research/teaching programs will receive safer, better‑documented donated specimens and human remains, reducing contamination and health risks during education and clinical use.
Donors' families and next-of-kin gain stronger protections that remains will be returned or disposed of according to donor or family instructions because registrants must ensure proper disposition or contract transferees to assume those duties.
Federal registration, inspection, and enforcement authority increases oversight and accountability of entities handling donated bodies, helping deter illicit sales, falsified records, and unsafe practices.
For-profit and nonprofit businesses that handle donated bodies will face new annual registration fees, compliance costs, and more detailed recordkeeping/packaging requirements, raising operating expenses and administrative burden.
Detailed labeling requirements (including donor identifiers and medical history) create a risk that donor privacy could be compromised if sensitive information is misused or disclosed beyond authorized purposes.
New criminal penalties and suspension authority expose registrants to legal risk, including prosecutions or business closures for compliance errors or violations.
Introduced April 3, 2025 by Thomas Roland Tillis · Last progress April 3, 2025