Assembly Bill A8420A

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  8420--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             December 29, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. WOERNER, HYNDMAN, DeSTEFANO, O'DONNELL, BRABENEC,
   LEMONDES  --  read once and referred to the Committee on Local Govern-
   ments -- recommitted to the Committee on Local Governments in  accord-
   ance  with  Assembly  Rule  3,  sec.  2  -- committee discharged, bill
   amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said  commit-
   tee
 
 AN ACT to amend the county law, in relation to coroner qualifications
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 400 of the county law is amended by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 3-c to read as follows:
   3-C.  CORONER  QUALIFICATIONS. ANY ELECTED OR APPOINTED CORONER WHO IS
 NOT A PHYSICIAN DULY LICENSED TO PRACTICE MEDICINE SHALL BE A  CERTIFIED
 NURSE  PRACTITIONER  OR LICENSED PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT AUTHORIZED TO PRAC-
 TICE PURSUANT TO TITLE EIGHT OF THE EDUCATION LAW, OR SHALL BE A  CERTI-
 FIED MEDICOLEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATOR OR HOLD AN ASSOCIATE'S OR BACHELOR'S
 DEGREE  IN  NURSING,  NATURAL SCIENCE, FORENSIC SCIENCE, ANTHROPOLOGY OR
 OTHER RELATED FIELD WHILE PURSUING CERTIFICATION FROM THE AMERICAN BOARD
 OF MEDICOLEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATORS OR SIMILAR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION.
 ANY CORONER WHO IS NOT SO LICENSED OR CERTIFIED, OR WHO  DOES  NOT  HAVE
 SUCH  DEGREE  WHILE PURSUING SUCH CERTIFICATION AS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE
 OF THIS SUBDIVISION MAY FINISH OUT THEIR TERM.
   § 2. Subdivision 4-b of section 400 of the county  law,  as  added  by
 chapter 897 of the laws of 1962, is amended to read as follows:
   4-b.  Coroner's  physician.  Except  in  counties  where the office of
 coroner has been abolished, the board of supervisors may appoint one  or
 more  coroner's  physicians or may provide by local law for the appoint-
 ment of one or more coroner's physicians, and may fix the terms of their
 office.  In any county in which the coroner or any of  the  coroners  is
 not  a  physician  duly licensed to practice medicine in this state, the
 board shall appoint one or more coroner's physicians.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13919-07-4
              

 A. 8420--A                          2
 
   Each coroner's physician appointed pursuant to this  subdivision  MUST
 BE  A  PHYSICIAN  DULY  LICENSED  TO PRACTICE MEDICINE IN THIS STATE AND
 shall by virtue of [his] THEIR office be  a  deputy  coroner  and  shall
 possess  the  powers  and  perform the duties of the coroner, during the
 absence or inability of the coroner to act, or in the event of a vacancy
 in the office of coroner.
   §  3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
 law.