Designates the Nature Center at Rockland Lake State Park as the "Lauren Shields Nature Center"

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why William Weber says this is needed

From the time she was a child, Lauren Shields faced challenges that would have overwhelmed most, yet she met every obstacle with strength, determination, and an undeniable spirit that inspired everyone around her. At the age of nine, she received the gift of a heart transplant, a second chance at life that she embraced with gratitude every single day. Following her heart transplant, she began lobbying for legislative fixes to New York's lagging organ donation registration numbers. In October of 2012, New York's "Lauren's Law", named for her, was signed into law while she was just 12 years old. Lauren's Law requires anyone applying for or renewing a driver's license or non-driver ID card to answer a question about joining the organ and tissue donor registry on the Department of Motor Vehicles application. The question, which had been optional, was often skipped. In the years following Lauren's Law and a series of updates, these efforts are credited with boosting New York's organ registry numbers. In 2020, she received the gift of a kidney transplant from her mother. Lauren never let her medical journey define her. Her strength, resili- ence, and positivity left a lasting impact on all who knew her. Lauren dedicated her life from the age of nine right up to her passing at the age of twenty-six to spreading awareness about Organ Donation and registering donors to the National Donate Life Registry. Whether it was advocating for legislation, working at LiveOnNY, or volunteering her free time, Lauren was a tireless advocate for her cause. By renaming the Rockland Lake Nature Center in honor of Lauren Shields, her powerful story and message will live on and encourage people to register as organ donors for years to come.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.