HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2539        FILED ON: 1/17/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1985

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Kate Hogan and Karen E. Spilka

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to the release of a body by the medical examiner to a person charged with an offense which resulted in the death of the deceased.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Kate Hogan

3rd Middlesex

 

Karen E. Spilka

Second Middlesex and Norfolk

1/31/2013

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

 

Denise Andrews

2nd Franklin

1/28/2013

Tom Sannicandro

7th Middlesex

 

James J. Dwyer

30th Middlesex

 

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

 

Cory Atkins

14th Middlesex

 

Danielle W. Gregoire

4th Middlesex

 

David Paul Linsky

5th Middlesex

 

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

 

Carolyn C. Dykema

8th Middlesex

 

Ann-Margaret Ferrante

5th Essex

 

Carl M. Sciortino, Jr.

34th Middlesex

 

Linda Dorcena Forry

12th Suffolk

 

Jennifer E. Benson

37th Middlesex

 

John D. Keenan

7th Essex

2/1/2013

Colleen M. Garry

36th Middlesex

 

James M. Cantwell

4th Plymouth

 

Gailanne M. Cariddi

1st Berkshire

 

Daniel B. Winslow

9th Norfolk

 

Alice Hanlon Peisch

14th Norfolk

 


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2539        FILED ON: 1/17/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1985

By Ms. Hogan of Stow and Senator Spilka, a joint petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1985) of Kate Hogan and others relative to the release of a body by the medical examiner to a person charged with an offense which resulted in the death of the deceased.  Public Health.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2350 OF 2011-2012.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Thirteen

_______________

 

An Act relative to the release of a body by the medical examiner to a person charged with an offense which resulted in the death of the deceased.

 

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.  Section 13 of chapter 38 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- 

"After investigation or examination by the office, the body shall be released to the person with the proper legal authority to receive it, including the surviving spouse, the next of kin if such person is aged 18 years old or older, or any family member or friend of the deceased, who shall have priority in the order named herein; provided, however, that any named person charged with or convicted of an offense which resulted in the death of the deceased,  such person shall be skipped in the order of priority; provided further that such person shall be disqualified from acting as executor of the estate of the deceased."