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The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

AN ACT RELATIVE TO SUDDEN, UNEXPLAINED CHILD DEATHS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows:

SECTION 1. The state child fatality review team established in section 2A of chapter 38 of the General Laws shall conduct a study of training and protocols related to sudden, unexplained deaths of children under the age of 3. The team shall examine the feasibility of adopting statewide training and protocols, including those developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for first responders and investigators, including emergency medical systems personnel, municipal police, state police and medical examiners. The training and protocols shall promote: (1) forensically competent death scene investigations and autopsies; (2) sensitivity toward families and child care providers affected by these deaths, including notification of available community resources and support groups; and (3) coordination with experts, including the Massachusetts Center for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome at Boston Medical Center, to provide research data on these deaths. The team shall solicit input from persons who have been affected by the sudden, unexplained deaths of a child under the age of 3.

The team shall submit a report of its findings and any legislative or regulatory recommendations to the secretary of public safety, the secretary of health and human services, and the general court, by filing the report with the house and senate clerks, not later than July 1, 2009.

SECTION 2. This act shall be known as the Paige Victoria Perry Act.

Approved September 17, 2008