Legacy Act of 2025
Officially: “Legacy Act of 2025” Read the full text
What it does
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1Short title
This section would allow the Act to be called the "Legacy Act of 2025."
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Legacy Act of 2025 .
2Study on establishing system for storing and retrieving last wish documents
This section would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to seek an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine under which the National Academies would study how to set up and run a national, confidential, and secure system for storing and retrieving a person's last wish document. An authorized agent would be able to retrieve the document through this system, and it would be free for the individual to use. The agreement would require the National Academies to report to the Secretary and to Congress twice: the status of the study no later than 2 years after the Act becomes law, and the results of the study no later than 4 years after the Act becomes law. For purposes of the Act, a last wish document includes an advance directive, an organ donor registration, a healthcare or medical proxy, a power of attorney, or a living will, though the term is not limited to those five items. The Act also defines the National Academies as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and the Secretary as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
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2. Study on establishing system for storing and retrieving last wish documents (a) In general The Secretary shall seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies under which the National Academies conduct a study on establishing and maintaining a national, confidential, and secure system for storing and retrieving by an authorized agent a last wish document of an individual, at no cost to such individual. (b) Submission of status and results The agreement entered into under subsection (a) shall require the National Academies to submit to the Secretary and Congress— (1) not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the status of the study conducted under such agreement; and (2) not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the results of the study conducted under such agreement. (c) Definitions In this Act: (1) Last wish document The term last wish document includes— (A) an advance directive; (B) an organ donor registration; (C) a healthcare or medical proxy; (D) a power of attorney; or (E) a living will. (2) National Academies The term National Academies means the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (3) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Where it is
In the House.