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Senate approves exemption to bar bulk disclosure of next‑of‑kin data from medical examiner records
Summary
House Bill 44 90 passed the Senate; the bill exempts next‑of‑kin information of deceased persons from required public disclosure while allowing disclosure to law enforcement and donor procurement agencies.
Senator Bettencourt, State Senator, introduced House Bill 44 90, which would exempt next‑of‑kin information for deceased persons from required public disclosure by medical examiner offices.
Bettencourt said 14 medical examiner offices investigate sudden, unexpected, violent or suspicious deaths and gather next‑of‑kin information. He described a trend of commercial businesses requesting next‑of‑kin data in bulk via public‑information requests and then using that data to place calls to families—sometimes within two days of the medical examiner posting the information.
"HB 44 90 will ensure that the next of kin information will be kept confidential, but can still be disclosed to law enforcement agencies and donor procurement agencies," Bettencourt said, adding the intent is to preserve necessary access for officials while protecting families from commercial solicitations.
The Senate suspended the regular order and later suspended the three‑day rule; the bill passed third reading and final passage with a recorded roll call showing 31 ayes and no nays.
Supporters framed the bill as protecting families’ privacy while retaining access for legitimate agencies; the bill’s text exempts the information from required disclosure under specified conditions.
