HB1457 Summary

• Requires coroners and medical examiners to obtain DNA samples from unclaimed or indigent remains and forward them to the Department of State Police for inclusion in State and National DNA Databases.

• Mandates cemetery authorities place a metal tag stamped with a Unique Personal Identifier inside burial caskets or crypts for indigent or unidentified individuals before burial or interment.

• Limits stacking of caskets for indigent or unidentified individuals to a maximum of 3 caskets per grave space and prohibits burying remains of multiple persons in the same casket or grave space except during mass casualty events.

• Authorizes the Department to enter written agreements with local law enforcement agencies or county sheriff's departments to enforce cemetery provisions, with authority to issue citations adjudicated in circuit court or before a designated hearing officer.

• Increases the fee for certified death certificates from local registrars or county clerks by $1, with that dollar deposited into the county's general fund to support DNA sampling of indigent or unidentified human remains.