Bellino: Donating An Organ Shouldn't Cost An Arm And A Leg, Too

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 02/18/2026) Without Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) giving him days off for pre-operation appointments, Sen. Joseph Bellino Jr. (R-Monroe) said he could never have been an organ donor to his brother-in-law, to whom he gave a kidney in summer 2024.

On Wednesday, the Senate Health Policy Committee heard testimony on Bellino's SB 301, allowing Michigan employers to claim income tax credits worth 100% of wages they pay to a worker gone on "organ donation leave." The time period related to the claim could be up to 12 weeks for the employee on leave, taking place before, during and after the organ donation.

During the meeting, Bellino explained how, in December 2014, his brother-in-law shared on Facebook that he needed a kidney donation, and wasn't a good candidate for dialysis.

According to the American Transplant Foundation, dialysis treatment is a "less-than-perfect replacement for an actual human kidney." Also, because kidneys from diseased donors don't work immediately in some cases, patients may need dialysis before the kidney starts functioning.

"I put my name on the list. Now, I got to be honest, it was two or three days after it came out. I waited for a bunch of nieces and nephews who are younger than I am to get on," Bellino said. "But soon they were all rejected. Their blood type, they wanted to have more children … all kinds of things. And then it got to me. Then a few months later, I was going to give a kidney."

Bellino said the real barrier preventing many individuals from becoming donors is the loss of income during recovery.

He described SB 301 as a corporate income tax credit for Michigan employers providing fully paid leave to employees donating organs. He added that the leave must be offered in addition to existing benefits like paid time off or vacation, and must be verified by a physician.

"This legislation does not mandate employers participate. It simply creates an incentive. Employers who choose to step up and support employees making an extraordinary life-saving decision receive a tax credit in their return," Bellino said.

Bellino gave a special shoutout to Brinks, putting time on the Senate's schedule last term for him to talk to doctors and make pre-operation appointments ahead of the transplant operation.

"In fact, the day of my last pre-op was a voting day, and I went to her and said 'look, the doctors need me there all day long.' She changed the day for me," he said. "SB 301 reflects a simple principle — if someone is willing to save a life, the least we can do is ensure they're not financially penalized for doing so."

SB 301 was also supported by business groups like the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the Detroit Regional Chamber.

One of Wednesday’s testifiers was David Galbenski, co-founder of the Living Liver Foundation, a small association aimed at educating folks at becoming living donors. Galbenski, a Grosse Pointe resident, received a liver donation from his brother-in-law six years ago.

Galbenski said Michigan has already shown what meaningful progress looks like, such as through the 2023 passage of legislation protecting living donors from discrimination by life, disability and long-term care insurers.

He also mentioned the passage of reform in 2024, creating a one-time nonrefundable credit of up to $10,000 for unreimbursed donation-related costs, like travel, child care and lost wages. The tax credit kicked off at the start of last year.

Galbenski said that SB 301 fills a gap "for a very practical problem with the existing tax credit."

"Because the tax credit is non-refundable and cannot be carried forward — talking about the $10,000 state tax credit — its value depends on how much state income tax a family owes in a single year," he said. "Most donors will never owe the $10,000 in state income tax, so even if their donation-related costs reach that amount, they may (only be) able to claim a fraction of the credit."

He said that many donors need four to 12 weeks away from work to recover, and when wages stop during leave, families' finances are hit immediately.

Dr. Mona Doshi, a kidney specialist with University of Michigan Health, said that live kidney transplants can save Medicare and Medicaid taxpayer dollars. For example, dialysis costs around $60,000 annually, while the upfront cost of a kidney transplant is a high of $100,000 due to the surgery.

"But thereafter, the cost is $10,000 a year just for the medications. So after three years, dialysis is far more expensive than kidney transplant, and far inferior treatment than kidney transplant," Doshi said.

Doshi described meeting a woman who wanted to donate to her daughter. However, after hearing she would need four to six weeks off of work to do so, the mother told Doshi she couldn't be her daughter's living donor, as she lived paycheck to paycheck and couldn't afford the time off.

"That was very appalling, and that's what got me into this advocacy role," Doshi said. "Also, the time off depends on the job. So if they have a desk job, then perhaps some can even return (in) three weeks, four weeks after donation, and some may take longer."

Based on surveys, Doshi said it's estimated that the average loss of income was around $5,000 per donor in 2024.