The state Legislature may attempt to make it a little easier for Michigan residents in need of a vital organ to receive a transplant.

A package of bills was examined by the state House Health Policy Committee this week. The bills are meant to ensure that Michigan residents are given priority for organ donations from other state residents.

The committee chair, state Rep. Stephen R. Ehardt, R-Lexington, said the bills were examined and passed on to the full House for further examination.

“I think we need to make sure that citizens who need transplants receive them,” Ehardt said. “I think we did some good work today.”

If passed, the bill would include organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas and kidneys. Included in one of the bills are provisions that any potential organ donations collected within an area would be used within that same area.

If no suitable recipient is available in the area, then another area of Michigan would have access to the organ. If no suitable recipient is found in Michigan, the organ transplant would be available for other hospitals in the country.

The new bill also would help ensure that any donations planned for specific individuals would also take place.

The Ann Arbor organization Gift of Life deals with a large number of organ donations in the state.

Public Education Director Tammie Havermahl said she isn’t sure if the new bills will change much of the way things are currently done in the organ donation process. Because of the time element in organ donation, long distance transplants are difficult regardless.

“The allocation system has been that way all along,” Havermahl said. “When organs are removed from the donor, there is only a short amount of time to perform the transplant. This new bill doesn’t sound like it changes the way things are done.”

Havermahl added that while organs such as the kidneys can be easily transported for a long distance, others, such as the heart, have a very limited time frame to be transplanted.

State Rep. Andy Neumann, D-Alpena, who is also the Health Policy Committee minority vice chairman, believes the new legislation will prove beneficial for Michigan.

Although he can’t recall any specific instances of Michigan losing organs to other areas, he hopes the state Legislature will prevent losses in the future.

“The bills are great,” Neumann said. “There are some federal laws that require organs to go nationwide - we need to keep those organs in the state. Residents of Michigan could lose out. We don’t want to be a wholesaler, so to speak.”