A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds to improve child death research and investigation in north carolina, as recommended by the child fatality task force.
Whereas, more than 1,500 children die each year in North Carolina; and
Whereas, the General Assembly established the Child Fatality Prevention System in 1991 to study child deaths and make recommendations to prevent future deaths; and
Whereas, a critical component of this system is the child death research and training in child death scene investigation performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; and
Whereas, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has only two positions dedicated to these important functions, creating both delays and inefficiencies in the completion of these important functions; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the sum of sixty‑five thousand dollars ($65,000) for the 2011‑2012 fiscal year and the sum of sixty‑five thousand dollars ($65,000) for the 2012‑2013 fiscal year to establish a new child death research position and to reclassify a current research assistant position to a child death research position to better reflect job duties and responsibilities.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2011.