By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News

Secretary of State Jesse White is supporting legislation to allow 16 and 17 year olds to register for organ donation.

White is hoping this will decrease the average of 300 people who die each year while waiting for a transplant.

“Our goal is to save lives. Thousands of Illinoisans are on the waiting list for organs and we want to make sure we do all we can to give them an opportunity to get a second chance at live or improve their quality of live,” White said.

Signing up for the First Person Consent Organ/Tissue Donor Registry can be done when people receive driver’s licenses or identification cards.