2003 Legislation
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HOUSE BILL NO. 200 – Infant death, unexplained, autopsy

HOUSE BILL NO. 200

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H0200....................................................by HEALTH AND WELFARE
INFANT DEATH - Amends existing law to require an autopsy under specified
conditions of unexplained infant death; and to govern registration of deaths
believed to be the result of SIDS.
                                                                        
02/07    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/10    Rpt prt - to Health/Wel

Bill Text


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
 Fifty-seventh Legislature                 First Regular Session - 2003
                                                                        
                                                                        
                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                                                        
                                     HOUSE BILL NO. 200
                                                                        
                              BY HEALTH AND WELFARE COMMITTEE
                                                                        
  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO INVESTIGATIONS OF DEATHS; AMENDING SECTION 19-4301, IDAHO CODE, TO
  3        REQUIRE AN AUTOPSY UNDER SPECIFIED CONDITIONS OF UNEXPLAINED INFANT  DEATH
  4        AND  TO  MAKE  A  TECHNICAL CORRECTION; AND AMENDING SECTION 39-260, IDAHO
  5        CODE, TO GOVERN REGISTRATION OF DEATHS BELIEVED TO BE THE RESULT OF SUDDEN
  6        INFANT DEATH SYNDROME.
                                                                        
  7    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
  8        SECTION 1.  That Section 19-4301, Idaho Code, be, and the same  is  hereby
  9    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 10        19-4301.  CORONER  TO  INVESTIGATE DEATHS. (1)  When a coroner is informed
 11    that a person in his county has died:
 12        (a)  As a result of violence whether  apparently  homicidal,  suicidal  or
 13        accidental, or
 14        (b)  Under suspicious or unknown circumstances, or
 15        (c)  When  not  attended  by  a  physician during his last illness and the
 16        cause of death cannot be certified by a physician, the coroner must  refer
 17        the  investigation  of the death to the sheriff of the county or the chief
 18        of police of the city in which the incident causing death occurred; or, if
 19        unknown, then in which the death occurred; or, if unknown, then  in  which
 20        the  body  is found. The investigation shall be the responsibility of said
 21        officer who, upon completion of his investigation, shall furnish a written
 22        report of the result of such investigation to said coroner. The coroner of
 23        said county must refer said case to the coroner of the county in which the
 24        incident causing death occurred, if known, or if unknown,  then  in  which
 25        the  death occurred, if known, to hold an inquest. Provided, however, that
 26        a coroner shall conduct an inquest only if he has  reasonable  grounds  to
 27        believe that the death has occurred under any of the circumstances hereto-
 28        fore  stated  in  sections 19-4301(a) or 19-4301(b), Idaho Code. If so, he
 29        may summon six (6) persons qualified by law to serve as jurors  to  appear
 30        before him to hold said inquest.
 31        (2)  When  an infant under one (1) year of age has died suddenly and unex-
 32    pectedly and the  circumstances  concerning  the  death  are  unexplained,  an
 33    autopsy shall be performed by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all
 34    of its branches who has special training in pathology.
 35        Nothing  in  this  section  shall be construed to affect the tenets of any
 36    church or religious belief.
                                                                        
 37        SECTION 2.  That Section 39-260, Idaho Code, be, and the  same  is  hereby
 38    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 39        39-260.  REGISTRATION OF DEATHS AND STILLBIRTHS. (a) A certificate of each
 40    death  which  occurs  in this state shall be filed with the local registrar of
 41    the district in which the death occurs, or as otherwise directed by the  state
                                                                        
                                           2
                                                                        
  1    registrar,  within  five  (5)  days  after  the occurrence. However, the board
  2    shall, by rule and upon such conditions as it may prescribe to assure  compli-
  3    ance  with the purposes of the vital statistics act, provide for the filing of
  4    death certificates without medical certifications of cause of death  in  cases
  5    in  which  compliance  with  the  applicable prescribed period would result in
  6    undue hardship; but provided, however, that medical certifications of cause of
  7    death shall be provided by the certifying physician or coroner to   the  vital
  8    statistics unit within fifteen (15) days from the filing of the death certifi-
  9    cate.  No certificate shall be deemed complete until every item of information
 10    required shall have been provided or  its  omission  satisfactorily  accounted
 11    for.  When  death  occurs  in a moving conveyance in the United States and the
 12    body is first removed from the conveyance in this state, the  death  shall  be
 13    registered  in  this state and the place where the body is first removed shall
 14    be considered the place of death. When a death occurs on a  moving  conveyance
 15    while  in international air space or in a foreign country or its air space and
 16    the body is first removed from the conveyance in this state, the  death  shall
 17    be registered in this state but the certificate shall show the actual place of
 18    death  insofar  as can be determined. If the place of death is unknown but the
 19    dead body is found in this state, the certificate of death shall be  completed
 20    and  filed  in accordance with this section. The place where the body is found
 21    shall be shown as the place of death. If the date  of  death  is  unknown,  it
 22    shall be determined by approximation.
 23        The  person in charge of interment or of removal of the body from the dis-
 24    trict shall be responsible for obtaining and filing the certificate. Said per-
 25    son shall obtain the required information from  the  following  persons,  over
 26    their respective signatures:
 27        (1)  Personal  data shall be supplied by the person best qualified to sup-
 28        ply them; and
 29        (2)  Except as otherwise provided, medical data shall be supplied  by  the
 30        physician  who  attended  the  deceased during the last illness, who shall
 31        certify to the cause of death according to his best knowledge, information
 32        and belief within seventy-two (72)  hours  from  time  of  death.  In  the
 33        absence  of  the attending physician or with said physician's approval the
 34        certificate may be completed and signed by said physician's associate phy-
 35        sician, the chief medical  officer  of  the  institution  in  which  death
 36        occurred,  or  the  physician  who performed an autopsy upon the decedent,
 37        provided such individual has access to the medical history  of  the  case,
 38        views the deceased at or after death, and death is due to natural causes.
 39        (b)  The  person in charge of interment or of removal of the body from the
 40    district shall refer the following cases to the  coroner  who  shall  make  an
 41    immediate investigation, supply the necessary medical data, and certify to the
 42    cause of death:
 43        (1)  When  no  physician  was in attendance during the last illness of the
 44        deceased; or
 45        (2)  When the circumstances suggest that the death occurred as a result of
 46        other than natural causes.
 47        (c)  When a death is presumed to have occurred within this state  but  the
 48    body  cannot be located, a death certificate may be prepared by the state reg-
 49    istrar upon receipt of an order of a court of  record  of  this  state,  which
 50    shall include the finding of facts required to complete the death certificate.
 51    Such  a  death certificate shall be marked "presumptive" and shall show on its
 52    face the date of registration and shall identify the court  and  the  date  of
 53    decree.
 54        (d)  Each  stillbirth, defined as a spontaneous fetal death of twenty (20)
 55    completed weeks gestation or more, based on a clinical estimate of  gestation,
                                                                        
                                           3
                                                                        
  1    or  a  weight  of three hundred fifty (350) grams (twelve and thirty-five hun-
  2    dredths (12.35) ounces) or more, which occurs in this state  shall  be  regis-
  3    tered  on a certificate of stillbirth within five (5) days after delivery with
  4    the local registrar of the district in  which  the  stillbirth  occurred.  All
  5    induced  terminations  of pregnancy shall be reported in the manner prescribed
  6    in section 39-261, Idaho Code, and shall not be reported  as  stillbirths.  No
  7    certificate  shall be deemed complete until every item of information required
  8    shall have been provided or its omission satisfactorily accounted for.
  9        (1)  When a stillbirth occurs in an institution, the person in  charge  of
 10        the  institution or a designated representative shall prepare the certifi-
 11        cate,  obtain  the  signature  of  the  physician in attendance (except as
 12        otherwise provided in section 39-260(e), Idaho Code),  who  shall  provide
 13        the  medical  data, and forward the certificate to the mortician or person
 14        acting as such. In the absence of the attending  physician  or  with  said
 15        physician's  approval  the certificate may be completed and signed by said
 16        physician's associate physician, the chief medical officer of the institu-
 17        tion in which the stillbirth occurred, or the physician who  performed  an
 18        autopsy on the stillborn fetus, provided such individual has access to the
 19        medical  history  of  the case and views the fetus at or after stillbirth.
 20        The mortician or person acting  as  such  shall  provide  the  disposition
 21        information and file the certificate with the local registrar.
 22        (2)  When  a  stillbirth  occurs  outside an institution, the mortician or
 23        person acting as such shall complete the certificate, obtain  the  medical
 24        data  from  and  signature  of  the attendant at the stillbirth (except as
 25        otherwise provided in section 39-260(e), Idaho Code), and file the certif-
 26        icate. If the attendant at or immediately after the stillbirth  is  not  a
 27        physician,  the  coroner  shall  investigate  and  sign the certificate of
 28        stillbirth.
 29        (3)  When a stillbirth occurs in a moving conveyance in the United  States
 30        and  the  stillborn  fetus  is  first  removed from the conveyance in this
 31        state, the stillbirth shall be registered in  this  state  and  the  place
 32        where  the  stillborn fetus is first removed shall be considered the place
 33        of stillbirth. When a stillbirth occurs in a moving  conveyance  while  in
 34        international  air  space or in a foreign country or its air space and the
 35        stillborn fetus is first removed from the conveyance in  this  state,  the
 36        stillbirth  shall  be  registered  in this state but the certificate shall
 37        show the actual place of stillbirth insofar as can be determined.
 38        (4)  When a stillborn fetus is found in this state and the place of still-
 39        birth is unknown, it shall be reported in this state. The place where  the
 40        stillborn fetus was found shall be considered the place of stillbirth.
 41        (5)  The  name of the father shall be entered on the certificate of still-
 42        birth as provided by section 39-255, Idaho Code.
 43        (e)  When the circumstances suggest that  the  stillbirth  occurred  as  a
 44    result  of  other than natural causes (excepting legally induced abortions, as
 45    defined by section 39-241, Idaho Code), the local registrar  shall  refer  the
 46    case  to the coroner in the county where the stillbirth occurred. Said coroner
 47    shall make an immediate investigation, supply the necessary medical data,  and
 48    certify to the cause of stillbirth.
 49        (f)  When  the  circumstances  suggest  the  death is the result of sudden
 50    infant death syndrome (SIDS). The term SIDS means the sudden, unexpected death
 51    of an infant under one (1) year of age which remains unexplained after a  com-
 52    plete  autopsy,  death  scene  investigation and review of the case history. A
 53    report of the autopsy conducted pursuant to section 19-4301, Idaho Code, shall
 54    be filed with the coroner, who shall certify to the cause of death.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



                       STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
                             RS 12846
The purpose of this legislation is to require that if a child
under the age of one year dies suddenly and unexpectedly and
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDs) is suspected, an autopsy is
to be performed. 
                          FISCAL IMPACT
The cost to the counties who currently do not perform autopsies
in suspected SIDs cases would be between $500 and $750 per case. 



Contact
Name: Representative Margaret Henbest 
Phone: 332-1130
Representative Bonnie Douglas



STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE                        H 200