NKF-led advocacy effort reaches critical milestone as Senate HELP Committee schedules markup

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) today announced a major milestone in the advancement of the Living Donor Protection Act (LDPA). The legislation, which aims to address the national organ shortage crisis by removing barriers to transplantation, has been scheduled for markup in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee — the furthest the bill has progressed since it was first introduced. This milestone reflects years of persistent advocacy by living donors, transplant recipients, and patient advocates across the country.

The Living Donor Protection Act would prohibit life, disability, and long-term care insurers from discriminating against individuals solely because they have donated an organ or tissue. The bill also clarifies that the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) covers recovery time for living donors — ensuring donors do not have to choose between saving a life and keeping their job.

More than 90,000 Americans are currently waiting for a kidney transplant. Living donation remains the gold-standard therapy for many patients, offering better outcomes and longer graft survival. Yet too many prospective donors face uncertainty about insurance protections and employment security.

"For years, living donors and transplant recipients have shared their stories and urged Congress to act," said Kevin Longino, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant recipient. "Scheduling the Living Donor Protection Act for markup in the Senate HELP Committee is a powerful acknowledgment of that advocacy. Living donors step forward to save lives. They should never face discrimination or financial uncertainty because of that generosity. This moment brings us closer to ensuring living donors are protected and supported nationwide."

The legislation has been championed across multiple Congresses with broad bipartisan support and sustained leadership from the National Kidney Foundation and partners in the kidney and transplant community. A committee markup allows members to formally consider, amend, and vote on advancing the bill to the full Senate.

The LDPA of 2025 (S. 1552) has been included in a U.S. Senate HELP Committee markup scheduled for Thursday, February 26, 2026. A companion two-part bill (H.R. 4582 and H.R. 4583) is currently under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives. NKF will continue working with Congressional leadership and bipartisan champions in both chambers to advance the Living Donor Protection Act to a full Senate vote and final passage this Congress.

To learn more or take action, visit: https://kidney.quorum.us/campaign/134636/

About the Living Donor Protection Act
The LDPA would protect living organ donors from discrimination in obtaining life, disability, and long-term care insurance and ensure that they are covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The National Kidney Foundation has led advocacy efforts on the LDPA for nearly a decade, successfully helping to pass similar protections in more than 30 states. NKF is encouraged to see growing support across the transplant and patient community for this new strategy—splitting the bill into two parts to facilitate smoother passage through Congress. H.R. 4582 and H.R. 4583 represent the House companion bills to S. 1552 in the Senate.

About Kidney Disease 
In the United States, more than 35 million adults are estimated to have kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD)—and approximately 90 percent don't know they have it. About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk for kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black or African American people are about four times as likely as White people to have kidney failure. Hispanics experience kidney failure at about double the rate of White people. 

About the National Kidney Foundation 
The National Kidney Foundation is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org. 

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SOURCE National Kidney Foundation