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S.B. 142 Enrolled

             1     

DISPOSITION OF A DEAD BODY

             2     
2009 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Allen M. Christensen

             5     
House Sponsor: Bradley M. Daw

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill amends provisions of the Utah Vital Statistics Act and the Utah Medical
             10      Examiner Act to prohibit a person from rendering a dead body unavailable for
             11      postmortem investigation or autopsy, unless the person first obtains a permit from the
             12      medical examiner.
             13      Highlighted Provisions:
             14          This bill:
             15          .    defines terms;
             16          .    makes it a class B misdemeanor to engage in any conduct that makes a dead body
             17      unavailable for postmortem investigation, unless, before engaging in that conduct,
             18      the person obtains a permit from the medical examiner;
             19          .    states that the provisions and penalties for the crime of "abuse or desecration of a
             20      dead human body" supercede the provisions and penalties for the crime described
             21      in this bill;
             22          .    enacts provisions relating to the application, granting, and denial of an application
             23      for a permit to render a dead body unavailable for postmortem investigation;
             24          .    provides that the medical examiner may charge a fee to recover the costs of
             25      fulfilling the duties described in this bill; and
             26          .    makes technical changes.
             27      Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
             28          None
             29      Other Special Clauses:


             30          None
             31      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             32      AMENDS:
             33          26-4-2, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2002, Chapter 102
             34          58-9-610, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2008, Chapter 353
             35      ENACTS:
             36          26-2-18.5, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             37          26-4-29, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             38     
             39      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             40          Section 1. Section 26-2-18.5 is enacted to read:
             41          26-2-18.5. Rendering a dead body unavailable for postmortem investigation.
             42          (1) As used in this section:
             43          (a) "Medical examiner" is as defined in Section 26-4-2 .
             44          (b) "Unavailable for postmortem investigation" is as defined in Section 26-4-2 .
             45          (2) It is unlawful for a person to engage in any conduct that makes a dead body
             46      unavailable for postmortem investigation, unless, before engaging in that conduct, the person
             47      obtains a permit from the medical examiner to render the dead body unavailable for
             48      postmortem investigation, under Section 26-4-29 .
             49          (3) A person who violates Subsection (2) is guilty of a class B misdemeanor.
             50          (4) If a person engages in conduct that constitutes both a violation of this section and a
             51      violation of Section 76-9-704 , the provisions and penalties of Section 76-9-704 supercede the
             52      provisions and penalties of this section.
             53          Section 2. Section 26-4-2 is amended to read:
             54           26-4-2. Definitions.
             55          As used in this chapter:
             56          (1) "Dead body" is as defined in Section 26-2-2 .
             57          [(1)] (2) "Death by violence" means death that resulted by the decedent's exposure to


             58      physical, mechanical, or chemical forces, and includes death which appears to have been due
             59      to homicide, death which occurred during or in an attempt to commit rape, mayhem,
             60      kidnapping, robbery, burglary, housebreaking, extortion, or blackmail accompanied by threats
             61      of violence, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to commit any offense
             62      punishable by imprisonment for more than one year, arson punishable by imprisonment for
             63      more than one year, or any attempt to commit any of the foregoing offenses.
             64          [(2)] (3) "Medical examiner" means the state medical examiner appointed pursuant to
             65      Section 26-4-4 or a deputy appointed by the medical examiner.
             66          [(3)] (4) "Regional pathologist" means a trained pathologist licensed to practice
             67      medicine and surgery in the state, appointed by the medical examiner pursuant to Subsection
             68      26-4-4 [(2)](3).
             69          [(4)] (5) "Sudden death while in apparent good health" means apparently
             70      instantaneous death without obvious natural cause, death during or following an unexplained
             71      syncope or coma, or death during an acute or unexplained rapidly fatal illness.
             72          [(5)] (6) "Sudden infant death syndrome" means the death of a child who was thought
             73      to be in good health or whose terminal illness appeared to be so mild that the possibility of a
             74      fatal outcome was not anticipated.
             75          [(6)] (7) "Suicide" means death caused by an intentional and voluntary act of a person
             76      who understands the physical nature of the act and intends by such act to accomplish
             77      self-destruction.
             78          [(7)] (8) "Unattended death" means the death of a person who has not been seen by a
             79      physician within the scope of the physician's professional capacity within 30 days immediately
             80      prior to the date of death. This definition shall not require an investigation, autopsy, or
             81      inquest in any case where death occurred without medical attendance solely because the
             82      deceased was under treatment by prayer or spiritual means alone in accordance with the tenets
             83      and practices of a well-recognized church or religious denomination.
             84          (9) (a) "Unavailable for postmortem investigation" means that a dead body is:
             85          (i) transported out of state;


             86          (ii) buried at sea;
             87          (iii) cremated; or
             88          (iv) otherwise made unavailable to the medical examiner for postmortem investigation
             89      or autopsy.
             90          (b) "Unavailable for postmortem investigation" does not include embalming or burial
             91      of a dead body pursuant to the requirements of law.
             92          [(8)] (10) "Within the scope of the decedent's employment" means all acts reasonably
             93      necessary or incident to the performance of work, including matters of personal convenience
             94      and comfort not in conflict with specific instructions.
             95          Section 3. Section 26-4-29 is enacted to read:
             96          26-4-29. Application for permit to render a dead body unavailable for
             97      postmortem examination -- Fees -- Rulemaking authority.
             98          (1) Upon receiving an application by a person for a permit to render a dead body
             99      unavailable for postmortem investigation, the medical examiner shall review the application to
             100      determine whether:
             101          (a) the person is authorized by law to render the dead body unavailable for postmortem
             102      investigation in the manner specified in the application; and
             103          (b) there is a need to delay any action that will render the dead body unavailable for
             104      postmortem investigation until a postmortem investigation or an autopsy of the dead body is
             105      performed by the medical examiner.
             106          (2) Except as provided in Subsection (4), within three days after receiving an
             107      application described in Subsection (1), the medical examiner shall:
             108          (a) make the determinations described in Subsection (1); and
             109          (b) (i) issue a permit to render the dead body unavailable for postmortem investigation
             110      in the manner specified in the application; or
             111          (ii) deny the permit.
             112          (3) The medical examiner may only deny a permit to render a dead body unavailable
             113      for postmortem investigation if:


             114          (a) the applicant is not authorized by law to render the dead body unavailable for
             115      postmortem investigation in the manner specified in the application;
             116          (b) the medical examiner determines that there is a need to delay any action that will
             117      render the dead body unavailable for postmortem investigation; or
             118          (c) the applicant fails to pay the fee described in Subsection (5).
             119          (4) If the medical examiner cannot in good faith make the determinations described in
             120      Subsection (1) within three days after receiving an application described in Subsection (1), the
             121      medical examiner shall notify the applicant:
             122          (a) that more time is needed to make the determinations described in Subsection (1);
             123      and
             124          (b) of the estimated amount of time needed before the determinations described in
             125      Subsection (1) can be made.
             126          (5) The medical examiner may charge a fee, pursuant to Section 63J-1-303 , to recover
             127      the costs of fulfilling the duties of the medical examiner described in this section.
             128          Section 4. Section 58-9-610 is amended to read:
             129           58-9-610. Cremation procedures.
             130          (1) A funeral service establishment may not cremate human remains until the funeral
             131      service establishment:
             132          (a) completes and files a death certificate [is completed and filed] with the office of
             133      vital statistics and the county health department as indicated on the regular medical certificate
             134      of death or the coroner's certificate[.]; and
             135          (b) complies with the provisions of Section 26-4-29 .
             136          (2) (a) A funeral service establishment may not cremate human remains with a
             137      pacemaker or other battery-powered, potentially hazardous implant in place.
             138          (b) (i) An authorizing agent for the cremation of human remains is responsible for
             139      informing the funeral service establishment in writing on the cremation authorization form
             140      about the presence of a pacemaker or other battery-powered, potentially hazardous implant in
             141      the human remains to be cremated.


             142          (ii) (A) [The] Except as provided in Subsection (2)(b)(ii)(B), the authorizing agent is
             143      [ultimately] responsible to ensure that a pacemaker or other battery-powered, potentially
             144      hazardous implant is removed prior to cremation.
             145          (B) If the authorizing agent informs the funeral service establishment of the presence
             146      of a pacemaker or other battery-powered, potentially hazardous implant under Subsection
             147      (2)(b)(i), and the funeral service establishment fails to have [it] the pacemaker or other
             148      battery-powered, potentially hazardous implant removed prior to cremation, then the funeral
             149      service establishment [and the authorizing agent are jointly] is liable for all resulting damages.
             150          (3) Only authorized persons are permitted in the crematory while human remains are
             151      in the crematory area awaiting cremation, being cremated, or being removed from the
             152      cremation chamber.
             153          (4) (a) Simultaneous cremation of the human remains of more than one person within
             154      the same cremation chamber or processor is not allowed, unless the funeral service
             155      establishment has received specific written authorization to do so from the authorizing agent
             156      of each person to be cremated.
             157          (b) The written authorization, described in Subsection (4)(a), exempts the funeral
             158      license establishment from liability for co-mingling of the cremated remains during the
             159      cremation process.
             160          (5) A funeral service establishment shall:
             161          (a) verify the identification of human remains as indicated on a cremation container
             162      immediately before placing [them] the human remains in the cremation chamber [and];
             163          (b) attach a metal identification tag to the cremation container; [and]
             164          [(b)] (c) remove the identification tag from the cremation container; and
             165          (d) place the identification tag near the cremation chamber control where [it] the
             166      identification tag shall remain until the cremation process is complete.
             167          (6) Upon completion of a cremation, the funeral service establishment shall:
             168          (a) in so far as is possible, remove all of the recoverable residue of the cremation
             169      process from the cremation chamber;


             170          (b) separate all other residue from the cremation process from remaining bone
             171      fragments, in so far as possible, and process the bone fragments so as to reduce them to
             172      unidentifiable particles; and
             173          (c) remove anything other than the unidentifiable bone particles from the cremated
             174      residuals, as far as is possible, and dispose of that material.
             175          (7) (a) A funeral service establishment shall pack cremated remains, including the
             176      identification tag [referred to] described in Subsection (5)[(a)], in a temporary container or urn
             177      ordered by the authorizing agent.
             178          (b) The container or urn shall be packed in clean packing materials and not be
             179      contaminated with any other object, unless otherwise directed by the authorizing agent.
             180          (c) If the cremated remains cannot fit within the designated temporary container or
             181      urn, the funeral service establishment shall:
             182          (i) return the excess to the authorizing agent or the agent's representative in a separate
             183      container; and
             184          (ii) mark both containers or urns on the outside with the name of the deceased person
             185      and an indication that the cremated remains of the named decedent are in both containers or
             186      urns.
             187          (8) (a) If the cremated remains are to be shipped, then the funeral services
             188      establishment shall pack the designated temporary container or urn in a suitable, sturdy
             189      container.
             190          (b) The funeral service establishment shall have the remains shipped only by a method
             191      that:
             192          (i) has an available internal tracing system; and
             193          (ii) provides a receipt signed by the person accepting delivery.


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