House File 22 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 22 BY HEDDENS 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 1027YH (8) 87 pf/rn/rj

H.F. 22 Section 1. Section 331.802, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code 1 2017, 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 13 be filed with the state appeal board and, if . If the claim 14 filed meets the criterion of involvement of a person specified 15 in subparagraph (1), subparagraph division (a) or (b), the 16 claim shall be authorized by the board , shall be and paid 17 out of moneys in the general fund of the state not otherwise 18 appropriated. 19 (3) A claim for payment under this paragraph “c” shall not 20 affect or delay payment of the state medical examiner or other 21 personnel of the office of the state medical examiner or of the 22 county medical examiner or other personnel of the office of the 23 county medical examiner, as otherwise prescribed by rule. 24 (4) For the purposes of this paragraph “c” : 25 (a) “County medical examiner” includes the state medical 26 examiner, deputy state medical examiner, associate state 27 medical examiner, or deputy county medical examiner when acting 28 as the county medical examiner, or a county medical examiner 29 investigator. 30 (b) “Out-of-state resident” means an individual who is not a 31 resident of the state of Iowa and includes an individual who is 32 not a citizen of the United States nor lawfully admitted into 33 the United States for permanent residence by the United States 34 immigration and naturalization service. 35 -1- LSB 1027YH (8) 87 pf/rn/rj 1/ 3

H.F. 22 Sec. 2. ADOPTION OF RULES. The state medical examiner, 1 subject to the approval of the director of public health 2 pursuant to section 691.6, shall adopt administrative rules 3 pursuant to chapter 17A to implement this Act. 4 EXPLANATION 5 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 6 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 7 This bill provides that, in addition to payment by the 8 state of fees and expenses of a county medical examiner who 9 performs an autopsy or conducts an investigation of a person 10 who died after being brought into the state for emergency 11 medical treatment by or at the direction of an out-of-state 12 law enforcement officer or public authority, the state is 13 also required to pay such fees and expenses applicable to any 14 other decedent who is an out-of-state resident and dies after 15 entering the state. 16 The bill provides that a claim for payment by the state shall 17 be filed with the state appeal board and if the claim meets the 18 criterion specified the claim shall be authorized by the board 19 and paid out of moneys of the general fund of the state not 20 otherwise appropriated. A claim for payment shall not affect 21 or delay payment of the state medical examiner or of the county 22 medical examiner or other personnel of the office of the county 23 medical examiner. 24 For the purposes of the bill, “county medical examiner” 25 includes the state medical examiner, deputy state medical 26 examiner, associate state medical examiner, or deputy county 27 medical examiner when acting as the county medical examiner 28 or a county medical examiner investigator. “Out-of-state 29 resident” means an individual who is not a resident of the 30 state of Iowa and includes an individual who is not a citizen 31 of the United States nor lawfully admitted into the United 32 States for permanent residence by the United States immigration 33 and naturalization service. 34 The bill directs the state medical examiner, subject to the 35 -2- LSB 1027YH (8) 87 pf/rn/rj 2/ 3

H.F. 22 approval of the director of public health, to adopt rules to 1 implement the bill. 2 -3- LSB 1027YH (8) 87 pf/rn/rj 3/ 3