HB 6499 Summary

• Adds religious belief protections requiring county medical examiners to respect deceased persons' religious objections to autopsies when informed by next of kin.

• Permits autopsies despite religious objections only when county medical examiner determines "compelling public necessity" exists, defined as either a criminal investigation requirement or an immediate substantial threat to public health.

• Requires court authorization within 24 hours before performing an autopsy over religious objections, with the court conducting a hearing and next of kin receiving written notice of the petition.

• Mandates use of "virtual autopsy" (computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, X-rays, or similar imaging technology) before any internal examination, and requires least-intrusive internal examination methods if virtual autopsy results warrant further investigation.

• Allows counties without virtual autopsy equipment to transfer bodies to other counties for the procedure, with cost reimbursement rules specifying that transferring counties pay examination costs but next of kin pay transportation costs.