GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1997

S	1 

SENATE BILL 485*

Short Title:  Medical Investigators/AB.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Senators Lucas; Carrington, Dalton, Forrester, Gulley, Hartsell, Jenkins, Jordan, Kinnaird, Martin of Guilford, Odom, Shaw of Cumberland, Weinstein, and Wellons.

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Referred to:  Children & Human Resources.

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March 25, 1997

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE APPOINTMENT OF COUNTY MEDICAL INVESTIGATORS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 130A-382 reads as rewritten:
"§ 130A-382. County medical examiners and medical investigators; appointment; term of office.
(a)	One or more county medical examiners or medical investigators for each county shall be appointed by the Chief Medical Examiner for a three-year term. 
(b)	A medical examiner or medical investigator may serve more than one county. 
(c)	The Chief Medical Examiner may take jurisdiction in any case or appoint another medical examiner or medical investigator to do so.
(d)	A medical examiner shall be a physician licensed to practice medicine in this State.
(e)	A medical investigator shall:
(1)	Be licensed to practice nursing in this State, or
(2)	Be a physician's assistant registered under the rules of the North Carolina Board of Medical Examiners, or
(3)	Successfully complete a training program in death investigation approved by the Chief Medical Examiner.
A county medical investigator appointed pursuant to this Article shall have the same powers and duties as a county medical examiner appointed under this Article."
Section 2. G.S. 130A-394 is repealed.
Section 3. Chapter 152 of the General Statutes is repealed.
Section 4. This act is effective when it becomes law except in those counties with a coroner serving on that date, in which case the act shall become effective upon the sooner of the leaving of office or the expiration of the current term of the coroner.