Medical examiners, criminal penalties established for medical examiner retaining deceased person's organs in certain circumstances

HB 383 establishes criminal penalties for medical examiners who unlawfully retain a deceased person's organs. The bill makes it a Class C felony for a medical examiner to retain a deceased person's organ or organs without proper notification to and consent from the next of kin, except when necessary for identification or determining the cause or manner of death. This legislation affects medical examiners by creating new criminal liability and provides a legal recourse for families of deceased individuals regarding organ retention.