The AST Public Policy Committee is a leading voice on Capitol Hill, within the Executive Branch, and in State Capitols on important issues impacting the field of solid organ transplantation. Members of the Society’s Public Policy Committee regularly travel to Washington, DC, to educate and deliver the organization’s public policy agenda directly to key federal decision-makers and their staff. AST also maintains a full-time advocacy office in the nation’s capitol.

In the past, AST leaders have been called upon to provide testimony, as well as serve on advisory panels to Congress, State legislatures, the National Institutes of Health, Institutes of Medicine, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, the Office of the Secretary-Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control, etc.

The AST has been instrumental in assisting federal and state public policy decision-makers in the crafting and formation of a variety of legislative and regulatory initiatives. Information is provided to Congress and key officials in the Executive Branch about the organization’s views and positions as determined by the Public Policy Committee and the Board of Directors. Through these efforts, the AST represents the interests of physicians and scientists in all solid organ transplantation specialties.

The AST supports a wide variety of public policy issues including: insurance coverage for transplant drugs, equitable organ allocation, recognition and support of live donors, physician reimbursements and research support. The following is a list of AST Federal Government relations benchmarks and accomplishments for the 2007-2008 year:

• Testified on Capitol Hill and represented the transplant physician community before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Hearing regarding “Organ Donation: Utilizing Public Policy and Technology to Strengthen Organ Donor Programs”
• Worked closely with the Congressional leaders in the development, passage and enactment of the Charlie W. Norwood Living Organ Donation Act (H.R. 710)
• Flew in more than a dozen AST leaders and Public Policy Committee members quarterly for a face-to-face meetings with key members of Congress and Executive Branch Agency officials
• Met with more than 100 of the top health care Congressional leaders, House and Senate decision-makers, Committee Chairs, Ranking Members, and senior healthcare policy advisors on Capitol Hill
• Supported the development and introduction of the “Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act (H.R. 3282 & S. 2330) by Congressman Camp (R-MI), Kind (D-WI) and Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Cochran (R-Miss)
• Commended on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate for contributions to the development and passage of organ donor legislation in the 110th Session of Congress (more than a half a dozen AST Public Policy Committee members were thanked by Congress for their policy contributions)
  Presented and represented the transplant physician community at the first Congressional staff briefing convened by the Congressional Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Caucus, “Giving the Gift of Life: Why Organ Donation Matters”
• Convened Annual “Congressional Transplant Leadership Awards”, honoring more that 12 House and Senate leaders for their steadfast commitment to promoting and strengthening the nation’s ability to deliver the gift-of-life
• Endorsed and supported the reorganized “Congressional Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Caucus” Co-Chaired by Congressmen Jim Costa (D-CA), Dave Camp (R-MI), Lacy Clay (D-MO) and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
• Worked closely in the development and introduction of H.R. 3635, “Everson Walls and Ron Springs Gift for Life Act”, introduced by Congressman Lacy Clay (D-MO)
• Mobilized support for the “William H. Frist Gift of Life Congressional Medal Act”