S 8841 New York Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Allows individuals to register in the donate life registry through personal income tax filings

S 8841 adds mandatory electronic personal income tax filings as a new method for New Yorkers to register for the Donate Life Registry, which facilitates organ, eye, and tissue donation. It requires tax forms subject to electronic filing to include a clear, conspicuous question asking: "Would you like to be added to the Donate Life Registry? Check box for 'yes' or 'skip this question'." This change directly affects all New York residents who file taxes electronically, making organ donation registration part of routine tax processing. The bill updates existing public health law provisions to include tax filings alongside other registration methods like driver's licenses and health insurance applications.
Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Assembly Passage
Jun 2026
Governor
Introduced Jan 8, 2026 Last action Jun 4, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

S8841 S8841A · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to expand the list of sponsors and update its title to reflect changes in the tax law. The core policy mechanism remains the same: allowing New York residents to register for organ and tissue donation through their state income tax filings. However, the specific tax section was replaced with a new section (171-bb) that clarifies the data sharing process between the Department of Taxation and the Donate Life Registry, and the effective date for this tax filing option was set to January 1, 2027.
Scope change
The bill's scope was technically refined by replacing the amendment to an existing tax law section with the addition of a new, specific section dedicated to the Donate Life Registry. This clarifies the legal authority for the data exchange between tax and health agencies.
SCOPE

The bill's title was updated to explicitly mention amending the tax law, and the list of Senate sponsors was expanded to include four additional legislators.

DEFINITION

A new section was added to formally define the 'donate life registry' and establish the legal framework for sharing tax return data with the registry.

REQUIREMENT

The method for registering via tax forms was updated to reference the new tax law section instead of the previous section number.

TIMELINE

A specific implementation date of January 1, 2027, was added for when tax returns will include the option to register for the donate life registry.

Floor votes · Senate May 19, 2026 · Assembly Jun 4, 2026

How they voted

581
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 63
May 19, 2026
D Democratic41
39 Yea 2
95% Yea
R Republican22
19 Yea 1 Nay 2
86% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
12
Key actions
3
Committee
2
Amendments
1
Jun 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
PASSED ASSEMBLY
lower
May 19, 2026
Committee
REFERRED TO HEALTH
lower
May 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
PASSED SENATE
upper
May 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
AMENDED ON THIRD READING (T) 8841A
upper
Jan 8, 2026
Committee
REFERRED TO HEALTH
upper
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors

Sponsors