Video: Governor Signs Organ Donation Bill

(Editor's note: This report was updated on Saturday, July 31 at 1:30 p.m. to correct the name of the law and the legislators involved.)

Melrose resident Ann Linehan cried with her daughter Cara after Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law on Thursday a bill that honored the memory of Laura Linehan, Ann and Jim's daughter and Cara's sister, and which takes action to increase organ and tissue donation. Laura Linehan died in 2008 while waiting for a liver transplant and since then, her mother has advocated to increase awareness about organ donation. The bill signed by Patrick on Thursday — the end result of "Laura's Law," filed by Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, and "Jackson's Law," filed by Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester — is officially titled "An Act Establishing an Organ and Tissue Donor Registration Fund. The bill establishes a fund that accepts public and private gifts, grants and donations that support donor registration. It also revitalizes the dormant Department of Public Health (DPH) council for organ donation to develop strategies to increase organ donation, including creating a website with educational materials about donation. The bill also enables Massachusetts residents to register as organ donors online through the Registry of Motor Vehicles website. Watch video from the signing ceremony today below.