Senate Bill 395 Summary

• Establishes a regional office structure for North Carolina's medical examiner system, replacing the current central and district office model with five regional offices.

• Requires the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to obtain and maintain national accreditation by the National Association of Medical Examiners or an approved alternative entity.

• Creates minimum qualifications, training, and certification requirements for medicolegal death investigators, including associate degree requirements and mandatory board certification within six months of hire.

• Increases investigation and autopsy fees: medical examiner investigation fees rise from $100 to $250, and autopsy fees increase from $1,250 to $2,800, effective July 1, 2015.

• Appropriates funds to establish additional full-time positions for forensic pathologists, medical examiners, and medicolegal death investigators, and to create forensic pathologist fellowships at Wake Forest University and East Carolina University.