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GA SB496

Bill

Status

Passed

5/2/2022

Primary Sponsor

Dean Burke

Click for details

Origin

Senate

2021-2022 Regular Session

AI Summary

  • Adds the death of a pregnant female, or a female who was pregnant within 365 days prior to death, as a new category requiring mandatory notification to the coroner or county medical examiner for a death investigation
  • Excludes deaths from incidental or accidental causes (e.g., motor vehicle accidents) where the death was clearly not causally related to the care of or physiology of pregnancy
  • Requires that pregnancy-related deaths falling under the new category (but not already covered by other triggers like violence or suicide) be investigated through a medical examiner's inquiry conducted via a regional perinatal center identified by the Department of Public Health
  • Adds a new definition clarifying that a death is considered "unattended by a physician" when the individual had not been seen or treated by a physician within 180 days prior to death for a condition likely to have caused or contributed to the death
  • Extends inquest requirements to cover deaths falling under the new pregnancy-related category, aligning coroner inquest provisions with the expanded notification triggers

Legislative Description

Death Investigations; medical examiner's inquiry when a pregnant female dies and an inquest; require

Last Action

Effective Date 2022-07-01

5/2/2022

Committee Referrals

Health and Human Services3/3/2022
Health and Human Services2/14/2022

Full Bill Text

No bill text available