Senate Bill 18-223 Summary

• Establishes that autopsy reports for minors (under age 18) are confidential and can only be disclosed by the coroner under specific circumstances defined in the statute.

• Parents or legal guardians may obtain autopsy reports by submitting a written request and affidavit under penalty of perjury verifying their relationship to the deceased.

• Allows disclosure to law enforcement, criminal justice agencies, district attorneys, and courts in civil and criminal cases upon appropriate requests and court orders.

• Permits disclosure to child fatality prevention review teams, state and local human services departments, health care facilities, organ procurement organizations, domestic violence review boards, and the child protection ombudsman upon their request.

• Allows any person to petition a district court for access to an autopsy report on grounds of significant public benefit if they demonstrate public disclosure outweighs privacy interests and the information is not otherwise publicly available.

• Effective July 1, 2018, and applies to autopsy report requests submitted on or after that date.