HOUSE BILL No. 6050


     September 28, 2000, Introduced by Reps. Van Woerkom, Pappageorge, Mortimer, Ehardt and LaSata and referred to the
Committee on Family and Civil Law.


        A bill to amend 1953 PA 181, entitled

   "An act relative to investigations in certain instances of the
   causes of death within this state due to violence, negligence or
   other act or omission of a criminal nature or to protect public
   health; to provide for the taking of statements from injured per-
   sons under certain circumstances; to abolish the office of coro-
   ner and to create the office of county medical examiner in cer-
   tain counties; to prescribe the powers and duties of county medi-
   cal examiners; to prescribe penalties for violations of the pro-
   visions of this act; and to prescribe a referendum thereon,"

   by amending section 2 (MCL 52.202).

               THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

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           Sec. 2.  (1)  County  A COUNTY medical  examiners 
   EXAMINER

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      or deputy county medical  examiners  EXAMINER shall  make inves-

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      tigations as to  INVESTIGATE the cause and manner of death  in

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      all cases  UNDER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES:

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           (A) THE CASE of  persons who have come to their death  AN

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      INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS DIED by violence.  ; or 




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           (B) THE CASE OF AN INDIVIDUAL whose death was unexpected.  ;

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      or 

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           (C) THE CASE OF AN INDIVIDUAL WHO DIED without medical

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      attendance during the 48 hours  prior to  IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING

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      the  hour  TIME of death, unless the attending physician, if any,

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      is able to determine accurately the cause of death.  ; or 

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           (D) THE CASE OF AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS DIED as the result of

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      an abortion, whether self-induced or otherwise.

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           (2) If  any  A prisoner in  any  A county or city jail
   dies

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      while so imprisoned, the county medical examiner OR DEPUTY COUNTY

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      MEDICAL EXAMINER, upon being notified of the death of the prison-

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      er, shall  make an examination upon  EXAMINE the body of the

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      deceased prisoner.

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           (3) A COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER OR DEPUTY COUNTY MEDICAL

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      EXAMINER, WHILE CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION UNDER SUBSECTION (1)

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      OR (2), MAY ISSUE A SUBPOENA TO PRODUCE MEDICAL RECORDS, BOOKS,

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      PAPERS, DOCUMENTS, OR OTHER ITEMS RELATED TO THE DEATH BEING

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      INVESTIGATED.

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           (4) IF A SUBPOENA ISSUED UNDER SUBSECTION (3) IS NOT OBEYED,

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      THE COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER OR DEPUTY COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER MAY

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      PETITION THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE DEATH

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      OCCURRED TO REQUIRE THE PRODUCTION OF MEDICAL RECORDS, BOOKS,

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      PAPERS, DOCUMENTS, OR OTHER ITEMS DESCRIBED IN THE SUBPOENA.  THE

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      CIRCUIT COURT MAY ISSUE AN ORDER REQUIRING A PERSON TO PRODUCE

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      THE MEDICAL RECORDS, BOOKS, PAPERS, DOCUMENTS, OR OTHER ITEMS.

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      FAILURE TO OBEY THE ORDER OF THE CIRCUIT COURT MAY BE PUNISHED BY

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      THE COURT AS A CONTEMPT OF COURT.



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