Relates to collection of social security account numbers for registration with the New York state donate life registry

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Jamaal Bailey says this is needed

New York State has made significant progress in expanding opportunities for individuals to register as organ and tissue donors through the Department of Motor Vehicles, online platforms, and, more recently, health insurance enrollment and renewal processes. As these enrollment pathways have expanded, ensuring the integrity and accuracy of donor records has become increasingly important. The New York State Donate Life Registry relies on stable, unique identi- fiers to ensure that an individual's affirmative decision to donate is accurately captured, preserved, and honored at a critical moment. While DMV-issued identifiers function effectively within motor vehicle trans- actions, many insurers and health plans do not collect those identifiers and instead rely on Social Security numbers as their primary unique identifier. The absence of a shared identifier across enrollment chan- nels increases the risk of duplicate records, incomplete donor profiles, and administrative inefficiencies. This bill addresses that challenge by providing clear statutory authority for the limited use of Social Security numbers as a shared identifier for donor registration purposes only. The bill does not create a new registry, expand eligibility, or mandate donation. Rather, it ensures that when a New Yorker chooses to register as a donor, that decision is accurately recorded and reliably linked to a single, complete registry record. Strong privacy and security protections are embedded throughout the bill. Use of Social Security numbers is strictly limited to donor regis- tration functions, secondary uses are expressly prohibited, and all data handling remains subject to existing state and federal privacy and secu- rity requirements. Individuals receive notice that providing a Social Security number is optional and that it will be used solely for donor registration purposes. By improving data quality and reducing duplication, the bill supports more accurate donor statistics, strengthens public trust in the regis- tration process, and enhances the state's ability to honor lifesaving donor decisions. These targeted, commonsense updates align with prior legislative efforts to modernize organ donation registration while preserving robust privacy safeguards.

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.