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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Bill Requires Blood Banks and Hospitals to Honor Patient Requests for Personal or Designated Blood Donations
Last action · January 21, 2026: Subcommittee: Sweeney, Trone Garriott, and Webster. S.J. 124 .Sponsor: Dennis Guth
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate File 2049 requires blood banks and licensed hospitals that facilitate blood donations to comply with patient requests for autologous or s when ordered by a physician for a medical procedure. The legislation specifies that these donations remain subject to all existing federal and state laws, and permits facilities to charge a reasonable facilitation fee.
Patients facing scheduled medical procedures requiring transfusions gain a statutory right to use their own blood or blood from a chosen donor, provided they have a physician's order.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Patients
Patients gain the statutory right to request autologous or directed blood donations for upcoming medical procedures upon a physician's order.
Hospitals
Licensed hospitals that facilitate blood donations must comply with patient requests for autologous or directed blood donations and are authorized to charge a reasonable facilitation fee.
Blood Banks
Blood banks must comply with patient requests for autologous or directed blood donations when backed by a physician's order and may charge a reasonable fee.
Key Facts
- Patients with a physician's order for a medical procedure requiring a possible transfusion can request an autologous blood donation (for their own use) or a directed blood donation (for a specified individual).
- Blood banks and licensed hospitals that facilitate blood donations are legally required to comply with these patient requests.
- All autologous and directed blood donations collected under this bill remain subject to existing federal and state laws and rules.
- Blood banks and hospitals are permitted to charge a reasonable fee for facilitating autologous or directed blood donations.
Show all 5 facts
- The bill defines 'autologous blood donation' as a donation made by an individual for their own use, and 'directed blood donation' as a donation for transfusion into a specified individual.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an autologous blood donation under this bill?
Can blood banks and hospitals charge fees for handling these special donations?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
3 actions- Jan 21, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Sweeney, Trone Garriott, and Webster. S.J. 124 .
- Jan 15, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Health and Human Services. H.J. 112 .
- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Health and Human Services. S.J. 85 .
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance45How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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