A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to increase north carolina medical examiner autopsy fees.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 130A‑389(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	If, in the opinion of the medical examiner investigating the case or of the Chief Medical Examiner, it is advisable and in the public interest that an autopsy or other study be made; or, if an autopsy or other study is requested by the district attorney of the county or by any superior court judge, an autopsy or other study shall be made by the Chief Medical Examiner or by a competent pathologist designated by the Chief Medical Examiner. A complete autopsy report of findings and interpretations, prepared on forms designated for the purpose, shall be submitted promptly to the Chief Medical Examiner. Subject to the limitations of G.S. 130A‑389.1 relating to photographs and video or audio recordings of an autopsy, a copy of the report shall be furnished to any person upon request. A fee for the autopsy or other study shall be paid by the State. However, if the deceased is a resident of the county in which the death or fatal injury occurred, that county shall pay the fee. The fee shall be one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500)."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2013, and applies to fees imposed for autopsies performed on or after that date.