House File 2025 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2025 BY HEDDENS and DEYOE A BILL FOR An Act relating to the payment of fees and expenses of 1 county medical examiners who perform autopsies or conduct 2 investigations of decedents who are out-of-state residents. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5110YH (6) 86 pf/nh
H.F. 2025 Section 1. Section 331.802, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code 1 2016, is amended to read as follows: 2 c. (1) The fee and expenses of the county medical examiner 3 who performs an autopsy or conducts an investigation of a any 4 of the following persons shall be paid by the state: 5 (a) A person who dies after being brought into this state 6 for emergency medical treatment by or at the direction of an 7 out-of-state law enforcement officer or public authority shall 8 be paid by the state . 9 (b) A person to whom subparagraph division (a) does 10 not apply, who dies after entering the state and who is an 11 out-of-state resident. 12 (2) A claim for payment under this paragraph “c” shall be 13 filed with the state appeal board and, if authorized by the 14 board, shall be paid out of moneys in the general fund of the 15 state not otherwise appropriated. 16 (3) For the purposes of this paragraph “c” : 17 (a) “County medical examiner” includes the state medical 18 examiner, deputy state medical examiner, or deputy county 19 medical examiner when acting as the county medical examiner. 20 (b) “Out-of-state resident” means an individual who is not a 21 resident of the state of Iowa and includes an individual who is 22 not a citizen of the United States nor lawfully admitted into 23 the United States for permanent residence by the United States 24 immigration and naturalization service. 25 Sec. 2. ADOPTION OF RULES. The state medical examiner, 26 subject to the approval of the director of public health 27 pursuant to section 691.6, shall adopt administrative rules 28 pursuant to chapter 17A to implement this Act. 29 EXPLANATION 30 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 31 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 32 This bill provides that, in addition to payment by the 33 state of fees and expenses of a county medical examiner who 34 performs an autopsy or conducts an investigation of a person 35 -1- LSB 5110YH (6) 86 pf/nh 1/ 2
H.F. 2025 who died after being brought into the state for emergency 1 medical treatment by or at the direction of an out-of-state 2 law enforcement officer or public authority, the state is also 3 required to pay such fees and expenses applicable to any other 4 decedent who is an out-of-state resident. Currently, under 5 641 IAC 127.4, if law enforcement or a public authority had 6 no involvement in bringing the person into the state, such 7 fees and expenses applicable to autopsies or investigations of 8 out-of-state residents are required to be paid by the county 9 of appointment. Under 641 IAC 127.1, “county of appointment” 10 means the county which requests a medical examiner to conduct 11 an investigation, perform or order an autopsy, or prepare 12 a report in a death investigation case. The request may 13 be authorized by the county attorney or the county medical 14 examiner. The county of appointment shall be the county in 15 which the death occurred. 16 For the purposes of the bill, “county medical examiner” 17 includes the state medical examiner, deputy state medical 18 examiner, or deputy county medical examiner when acting 19 as the county medical examiner and “out-of-state resident” 20 means an individual who is not a resident of the state of 21 Iowa and includes an individual who is not a citizen of the 22 United States nor lawfully admitted into the United States 23 for permanent residence by the United States immigration and 24 naturalization service. 25 -2- LSB 5110YH (6) 86 pf/nh 2/ 2