Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOHN ARMATO
District 2 (Atlantic)
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Requires feasibility study to examine establishment of regional medical examiner office facility in Southern New Jersey and collaborative development of new medical examiner education initiatives; appropriates $40,000.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Health Committee on November 15, 2021, with amendments.
An Act establishing a feasibility study related to medical examiner services and training in Southern New Jersey and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner shall contract with an appropriate entity to conduct a feasibility study related to addressing the needs and enhancing the operations of the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner in the southern region of the State. The feasibility study shall examine:
(1) the development of a regional State Medical Examiner’s Office facility in the southern region of the State, which shall include an assessment of:
(a) the anticipated need for a regional facility, including a determination of the likelihood that the State Medical Examiner’s Office will assume jurisdiction over additional county medical examiner offices;
(b) the size of facility that would be needed to meet regional needs, including the size of the physical plant and anticipated staffing needs;
(c) the advantages and disadvantages of establishing morgue facilities and administrative offices in a single location;
(d) the advantages and disadvantages of constructing a new facility as opposed to adapting an existing facility for this purpose; 1[and]1
(e) the costs of acquiring and maintaining a computerized tomography scanner; 1and
(f) the advantages and disadvantages of accommodating on-site forensic testing services, as well as partnering with one or more institutions of higher education to facilitate data collection and research with the goal of informing public health policy;1
(2) 1[collaborating] collaboration1 with one or more medical schools operating in the southern region of the State to establish a forensic medical examiner fellowship program, develop a death investigation program for medicolegal investigators and law enforcement, 1[enhancing] enhance1 education and training for medical students and medical residents related to forensic medical examination, and 1[establishing] establish1 new graduate and undergraduate courses in forensic medical examination 1, and invest in and expand graduate and undergraduate courses in the forensic sciences in New Jersey institutions of higher education1 ; and
(3) any legislation, administrative action, or other governmental action that may be needed to implement any recommendations included in the report produced from the feasibility study.
b. The Office of the State Medical Examiner shall transmit a copy of the report produced from the feasibility study conducted pursuant to subsection a. of this section to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature.
c. There is appropriated to the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner from the General Fund the sum of $40,000 for the purposes of contracting with an appropriate entity to conduct the feasibility study required under this section.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.