Representative Steve Cookson (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)
The Missouri Legislature has sent to Republican Governor Eric Greitens a bill that would allow an organ donor program checkoff on income tax returns to continue. State Rep. Steve Cookson, R-Poplar Bluff, who needs a liver transplant, says the bill is near and dear to his heart.
“More importantly, it is very near and dear to every Missouri citizen that has a family,” says Cookson. “Think about how this affects you, your family, your friends and all of your constituents.”
Cookson, who is serving his final two-year term in the House, is also a survivor of liver cancer and hepatitis C.
The checkoff lets on individuals and corporations donate money from their refund to the Missouri Organ Donor Trust Fund, which also manages a program for those who want to donate their organs and tissue.
The measure was sponsored by state Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee’s Summit. The checkoff was set to expire at the end of the year, if the legislature failed to pass the proposal.