AB530,25,1212 (b) A nurse licensed under ch. 441.
AB530,25,1313 (c) A chiropractor licensed under ch. 446.
AB530,25,1414 (d) A dentist licensed under ch. 447.
AB530,25,1615 (e) A physician, physician assistant, or respiratory care practitioner licensed
16or certified under subch. II of ch. 448.
AB530,25,1717 (f) A physical therapist licensed under subch. III of ch. 448.
AB530,25,1818 (g) A podiatrist licensed under subch. IV of ch. 448.
AB530,25,1919 (h) A dietitian certified under subch. V of ch. 448.
AB530,25,2020 (i) An athletic trainer licensed under subch. VI of ch. 448.
AB530,25,2221 (j) An occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant licensed under
22subch. VII of ch. 448.
AB530,25,2323 (k) An optometrist licensed under ch. 449.
AB530,25,2424 (L) A pharmacist licensed under ch. 450.
AB530,25,2525 (m) An acupuncturist certified under ch. 451.
AB530,26,1
1(n) A psychologist licensed under ch. 455.
AB530,26,32 (o) A social worker, marriage and family therapist, or professional counselor
3certified or licensed under ch. 457.
AB530,26,64 (p) A speech-language pathologist or audiologist licensed under subch. II of ch.
5459 or a speech and language pathologist licensed by the department of public
6instruction.
AB530,26,77 (q) A massage therapist or bodyworker certified under ch. 460.
AB530,26,9 8(2) "Hospice" means an organization, program, or place that meets the
9definition in s. 50.90 (1) and that is licensed under s. 50.92.
AB530,26,11 10(3) "Hospital" means a facility licensed under s. 50.35 or a facility operated as
11a hospital by the federal government, a state, or a political subdivision of a state.
AB530,26,12 12(4) "Human remains" has the meaning given in s. 157.061 (8).
AB530,26,13 13(5) "Law enforcement agency" has the meaning given in s. 165.83 (1) (b).
AB530,26,17 14(6) "Law enforcement officer" means any person employed by the state, or any
15political subdivision of the state, for the purpose of detecting and preventing crime
16and enforcing laws or ordinances and who is authorized to make arrests for violations
17of the laws or ordinances that the person is employed to enforce.
AB530,26,19 18(7) "Nursing home" means a facility that meets the definition in s. 50.01 (3) and
19that is licensed under subch. I of ch. 50.
AB530,26,22 20(8) "Representative of the deceased" means any member of one of the following
21classes of individuals, in the order of priority listed, who is available, if no member
22of a prior class is available:
AB530,26,2323 (a) The deceased's spouse.
AB530,26,2424 (b) An adult son or daughter of the deceased.
AB530,26,2525 (c) A parent of the deceased.
AB530,27,1
1(d) An adult brother or sister of the deceased.
AB530,27,22 (e) A person appointed as such by the circuit court.
AB530,42 3Section 42. 979.01 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB530,27,5 4979.01 (title) Reporting deaths required; penalty; taking specimens by
5coroner or medical examiner
jurisdiction for investigating deaths.
AB530,43 6Section 43. 979.01 (1) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:
AB530,27,177 979.01 (1) (a) If a death occurs outside of a hospital, physician's office, nursing
8home, or hospice, and is not required to be reported under par. (b) or (c), a law
9enforcement officer, health care provider, or funeral director who has knowledge of
10the death and any person who discovers the body or remains of a deceased individual
11shall immediately report the death to the coroner or medical examiner in the county
12in which the individual was pronounced dead or in which the deceased's body or
13remains were located except that a person who is required to report a death because
14he or she discovered a body or the remains of a deceased individual may report the
15death to a law enforcement officer in lieu of reporting the death to the coroner or
16medical examiner. Deaths that are required to be reported under this paragraph
17include all of the following:
AB530,27,1818 1. A death that involves unexplained, unusual, or suspicious circumstances.
AB530,27,1919 2. A death that the person has reason to believe is the result of a homicide.
AB530,27,2020 3. A death that the person has reason to believe is the result of a suicide.
AB530,27,2221 4. A death of a woman that is associated with an abortion, as defined in s. 253.10
22(2) (a).
AB530,28,223 5. A death, if the person has reason to believe that an injury or poisoning was
24a contributing cause of the death, whether or not the person has reason to believe

1that the injury or poisoning was the primary cause of the death and regardless of the
2interval between the injury or poisoning and the death.
AB530,28,43 6. A death that occurred when the individual was not under the care of a
4physician for the illness or condition that caused the death.
AB530,28,85 7. A death, if after reasonable efforts, a physician cannot within 6 days after
6the pronouncement of death, or sooner under circumstances that the coroner or
7medical examiner determines to be an emergency, be obtained to sign the medical
8certification as required under s. 69.18 (2) (b) or (c).
AB530,28,119 8. A death that the person has reason to believe is associated with the abuse
10of a chemical substance that may be legally used or with the use of a controlled
11substance, as defined in s. 961.01 (4).
AB530,28,1512 9. A death that the person has reason to believe is associated with an epidemic
13or pandemic, with the spread of a dangerous communicable disease, as defined by the
14department of health services, or with a disease-causing agent that may pose a
15threat to public health.
AB530,28,1816 (b) A law enforcement officer shall immediately report to the coroner or medical
17examiner in the county in which an individual was pronounced dead all of the
18following:
AB530,28,2019 1. A death that occurs while an individual is in the actual or constructive
20custody of a law enforcement officer.
AB530,28,2221 2. A death of an individual that occurs during the pursuit of the individual by
22a law enforcement officer or otherwise involves a law enforcement officer.
AB530,29,223 3. A death that occurs while the individual is confined in a federal prison in this
24state, a state prison, county jail or house of correction, a juvenile correctional facility,
25as defined in s. 938.02 (10p), or a juvenile detention facility, as defined in s. 938.02

1(10r), or is otherwise incarcerated in the custody of the department or of a county
2sheriff.
AB530,29,63 (c) A facility where a deceased individual was being detained or
4institutionalized under s. 51.20, 971.14, or 971.17 or ch. 980 at the time of his or her
5death shall immediately report the death to the coroner or medical examiner in the
6county where the facility is located.
AB530,29,97 (d) A health care provider shall immediately report a death that occurs in a
8physician's office, as defined in s. 460.01 (5), to the coroner or medical examiner in
9the county in which the physician's office is located.
AB530,29,1210 (e) A hospital shall immediately report to the coroner or medical examiner in
11the county in which the hospital is located a death that occurs at the hospital and
12satisfies any of the following conditions:
AB530,29,1313 1. The death occurred in the emergency department of the hospital.
AB530,29,1614 2. The death was not the result of a natural disease process. For purposes of
15this subdivision, deaths described in par. (a) 1. to 5., 8., and 9. are not considered to
16be the result of a natural disease process.
AB530,29,2117 (f) A nursing home shall immediately report to the coroner or medical examiner
18in the county in which the nursing home is located a death that occurs at the nursing
19home and that the nursing home has reason to believe was not the result of a natural
20disease process. For purposes of this paragraph, deaths described in par. (a) 1. to 5.,
218., and 9. are not considered to be the result of a natural disease process.
AB530,29,2422 (g) 1. A hospice shall report a death that occurred while an individual was
23receiving care from the hospice in accordance with the written policy created under
24subd. 2. that applies to the county in which the death occurred.
AB530,30,5
12. A coroner or medical examiner shall create and distribute to each hospice
2that operates in the county under his or her jurisdiction a written policy that
3describes the circumstances under which a hospice must report to the coroner or
4medical examiner a death that occurs while an individual is receiving care from the
5hospice.
AB530,44 6Section 44. 979.01 (1d) of the statutes is created to read:
AB530,30,97 979.01 (1d) Notwithstanding sub. (1), no person specified in sub. (1) need
8report a death under sub. (1) if that person knows that another person specified in
9sub. (1) has already reported the death to a coroner or medical examiner.
AB530,45 10Section 45. 979.01 (1g) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:
AB530,30,1311 979.01 (1g) If a law enforcement officer is notified under sub. (1) or s. 948.23
12(1) (b) of a death, the law enforcement officer shall immediately notify the coroner
13or medical examiner in the county in which the body or human remains were located.
AB530,46 14Section 46. 979.01 (1i) of the statutes is created to read:
AB530,30,1915 979.01 (1i) If a coroner or medical examiner is notified of a death under sub.
16(1) and determines that the death was caused by a crime, injury, trauma, or other
17event in a county other than the county in which the death was reported, the coroner
18or medical examiner shall notify the coroner or medical examiner in the county in
19which the crime, injury, trauma, or other event is believed to have occurred.
AB530,47 20Section 47. 979.01 (1k) of the statutes is created to read:
AB530,30,2521 979.01 (1k) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), if a death must be reported under
22sub. (1), the coroner or medical examiner in the county in which the crime, injury,
23trauma, or other event that caused the death occurred has jurisdiction to investigate
24the cause and manner of death including access to a death investigation scene and
25specimens necessary for death investigation.
AB530,31,6
1(b) If there is reason to believe that a death that must be reported under sub.
2(1) was caused by a crime, injury, trauma, or other event that occurred outside this
3state, or if after reasonable efforts it cannot be determined where the crime, injury,
4trauma, or other event that caused the death occurred, the coroner or medical
5examiner in the county in which death is pronounced has jurisdiction to investigate
6the cause and manner of death.
AB530,48 7Section 48. 979.01 (1m) of the statutes is renumbered 979.01 (1m) (a) and
8amended to read:
AB530,31,139 979.01 (1m) (a) The Except as provided in par. (b), the coroner or medical
10examiner receiving notification under sub. (1) or (1g) who has jurisdiction to
11investigate a death under this section
shall immediately, within a reasonable time
12after receiving notice of the death,
notify the district attorney for his or her county
13of the death
.
AB530,49 14Section 49. 979.01 (1m) (b) of the statutes is created to read:
AB530,31,1715 979.01 (1m) (b) Except as provided in s. 979.04 (2), the coroner or medical
16examiner is not required to notify the district attorney of any deaths for which the
17district attorney, in writing, waives notice.
AB530,50 18Section 50. 979.01 (1p) of the statutes is created to read:
AB530,31,2019 979.01 (1p) A coroner or medical examiner who receives notice of a death under
20sub. (1), or his or her designee, shall notify the deceased's next of kin of the death.
AB530,51 21Section 51. 979.01 (1r) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB530,32,222 979.01 (1r) If the coroner or medical examiner is notified of a death under sub.
23(1) or (1g) and determines that his or her notification of the death was not required
24under sub. (1) or (1g),
the discovery of human remains under this section and

1determines that the human remains have no forensic significance,
he or she shall
2notify the director of the historical society under s. 157.70 (3).
AB530,52 3Section 52. 979.01 (2) of the statutes is renumbered 979.01 (2) (a) and
4amended to read:
AB530,32,75 979.01 (2) (a) Unless s. 948.23 (1) (b) applies and except as provided in par. (b),
6any person who violates this section shall sub. (1) may be fined not more than $1,000
7or imprisoned not more than 90 days or both.
AB530,53 8Section 53. 979.01 (2) (b) of the statutes is created to read:
AB530,32,109 979.01 (2) (b) Any partnership, association, organization, institution, or body
10politic or corporate that violates sub. (1) may be fined not more than $10,000.
AB530,54 11Section 54. 979.01 (3) of the statutes is repealed.
AB530,55 12Section 55. 979.01 (3m) of the statutes is repealed.
AB530,56 13Section 56. 979.01 (4) of the statutes is renumbered 979.105 and amended to
14read:
AB530,33,7 15979.105 Authorization to embalm or dispose of a body. No person may
16embalm or perform an autopsy on dispose of, by burial, entombment, cremation,
17delivery to a university or school under s. 157.02 (3), or delivery to a medical or dental
18school anatomy department under s. 157.06,
the body of any person who has died
19under any of the circumstances listed in this section or on the body of any person
20whose death has been reported under s. 948.23 (1) (b) unless the person obtains the

21individual whose death must be reported under s. 948.23 (1) (b) or 979.01 (1) without
22the
written authorization of the coroner of the county in which the injury or cause
23of death occurred. Such authorization shall be issued by the
or medical examiner
24who has jurisdiction to investigate the death under s. 979.01. An authorization
25under this section shall include information necessary to identify the deceased, the

1date and place of death, the name of the funeral director or person acting in the place
2of the funeral director, and shall specify that the authorization does not override the
3wishes of the next of kin of the deceased with respect to disposition of the body. The

4coroner or a deputy within 12 hours after notification of the reportable death, or
5medical examiner, or his or her designee, shall issue an authorization under this
6section
as soon thereafter as possible in the event of unexplained, unusual or
7suspicious circumstances
after being notified of the death.
AB530,57 8Section 57. 979.015 of the statutes is amended to read:
AB530,33,15 9979.015 Subpoena for documents. Upon the request of the coroner, medical
10examiner, or district attorney, a court shall issue a subpoena requiring the
11production of documents necessary for the determination of a decedent's relevant to
12determining the
cause or manner of a deceased's death. The documents may include
13the decedent's patient health care records and treatment records, as defined in ss.
1451.30 and 146.81 (4).
The documents shall be returnable to the officer named in the
15subpoena.
AB530,58 16Section 58. 979.017 of the statutes is created to read:
AB530,33,22 17979.017 Custody of and authorization to move a body. (1) The coroner
18or medical examiner who has jurisdiction to investigate a death under s. 979.01 has
19legal custody of the deceased's body until he or she releases the body for disposition.
20Temporary transfer of a deceased's body for the purpose of removing a body part that
21is the subject of an anatomical gift under s. 157.06 does not constitute release of legal
22custody of the body.
AB530,34,2 23(2) If an individual's death must be reported under s. 979.01 (1), no person may
24move the individual's body at or from the scene of death without authorization from
25the coroner or medical examiner to whom the death was first reported under s.

1979.01, except if it is necessary to move the body to perform search or rescue
2operations for living individuals.
AB530,59 3Section 59. 979.02 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB530,34,4 4979.02 (title) Autopsies and other diagnostic procedures.
AB530,60 5Section 60. 979.02 of the statutes is renumbered 979.02 (1) and amended to
6read:
AB530,34,237 979.02 (1) The coroner, or medical examiner or district attorney who has
8jurisdiction to investigate a death under s. 979.01
may order the conducting of that
9an autopsy upon or other appropriate diagnostic procedure be performed on the body
10of a dead person any place within the state in cases where an inquest might be had
11as provided in s. 979.04 notwithstanding the fact that no such inquest is ordered or
12conducted. The autopsy shall be conducted by a licensed physician who has
13specialized training in pathology. The district attorney may move the circuit court
14for the county in which the body is buried for an order disinterring the body for
15purposes of autopsy. The order shall be granted by the circuit court upon a
16reasonable showing that any of the criteria specified in s. 979.04 exists. This section
17does not prevent additional autopsies or examinations of the body if there are
18unanswered pathological questions concerning the death and the causes of death
the
19deceased, or may extract from the body any specimen, bodily fluids, other bodily
20material, or other material for analysis that will assist him or her in conducting a
21death investigation. The coroner or medical examiner shall dispose of specimens,
22fluids, and materials that are no longer of use in the investigation in accordance with
23standard biological material practices and county evidence retention rules
.
AB530,61 24Section 61. 979.02 (2) to (7) of the statutes are created to read:
AB530,35,4
1979.02 (2) The coroner or medical examiner who has jurisdiction to investigate
2a death under s. 979.01, or his or her designee, shall order that an autopsy and any
3other appropriate diagnostic procedure be performed on the body of the deceased if
4any of the following applies:
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