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Bill to require autopsy for first responders pulled Tuesday, Jan 23, 2007 Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - A bill to require autopsies for firefighters and law enforcement officers who die in the line of duty was pulled from consideration Monday. Rep. Willie Hardy, D-Camden, pulled House Bill 1026 in the Joint Committee on Public Retirement and Social Security Programs after committee members raised numerous questions. Hardy said the bill was intended to ensure that firefighters and law enforcement officers who die in the line of duty receive autopsies to determine their eligibility for federal benefits. The person's next of kin would have to give consent for the autopsy, unless the firefighter or officer previously gave written consent. The bill would make it a misdemeanor to embalm a qualifying firefighter or law enforcement officer without the state medical examiner's authorization. Committee members asked why emergency medical personnel were excluded; whether embalmers should be punished if an agency failed to notify them of the need for an autopsy; and what would happen if the deceased person left written consent for an autopsy but the person's spouse did not want an autopsy performed. Hardy said he plans to rework the bill and bring it back before the committee. |
