This bill of the day would prohibit any cremations until the county medical examiner signs off on the action.
HB 706 authored by Rep. Oliver was passed through committee last week.
The bill reads:
No person knowing or having reason to know that death may be under the jurisdiction of the medical examiner shall embalm, bury or cremate the body without the permission of the medical examiner. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and may be punished by a fine of not more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500) or by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months in the county jail, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
Of course, this law would only be applicable in the event that the medical examiner was originally called upon to investigate the cause of death and they deem no further investigation is necessary.
Sarah Ulmer
