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House narrows medical examiner authority and circles bill for fiscal review
Summary
Law enforcement-backed HB61 to grant limited autopsy authority to medical examiners drew fiscal concerns and was amended; the House circled the bill pending an amended fiscal note.
The House took up House Bill 61, which would give the state medical examiner authority in narrowly defined circumstances to take custody of remains and perform autopsies when external evidence does not clearly explain a death.
"So what this bill does is give the authority, to the medical examiner to conduct, autopsies or invest and help the law enforcement to conduct those investigations in certain circumstances," Representative Cox said in explaining the need for the legislation.
Floor debate focused on the bill's fiscal impact and scope. Representative Rebecca Lockhart asked why the proposed cost (about $300,000 per year for additional staff) did not appear in the governor's budget and whether the fiscal analyst had been consulted. Cox responded the change was requested by law enforcement rather than the governor's office or the medical examiner and said a narrowed amendment would likely reduce the fiscal note.
Representative Wayne A. Harper moved the "pink" Amendment #2, which adds reference to statutory authority (26-4-13) and narrows the circumstances in which medical-examiner authority may be exercised. Supporters said the amendment addresses ambulance-liability concerns and limits the scope of authority to genuinely unclear fatalities.
After adopting the amendment, the House voted to circle HB61 so an amended fiscal note could be prepared; the bill will be returned to the floor when that analysis is complete.
