A 5424 New York Assembly · 2025 Regular Session

Establishes the Terry Cooper autopsy accountability act

Summary

Establishes the Terry Cooper autopsy accountability act requiring autopsy reports to include all photographs of the body, microscopic slides, and post-mortem x-rays taken by, at the direction of, or reviewed by the person performing the autopsy.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 14, 2025 Last action Jan 7, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

A5424 → A5424A · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill revision adds a new Section 2 requiring autopsy reports to include photographs, microscopic slides, and post-mortem x-rays, while removing the original Section 2 and renumbering the existing reporting requirements to Section 3. The substantive policy change is the new mandate for including visual and imaging evidence in autopsy reports for incarcerated individuals and service recipients.

Scope change

The bill now includes a new requirement for autopsy reports to contain photographs, microscopic slides, and post-mortem x-rays, while the existing reporting requirements to correctional and mental health agencies were moved from Section 2 to Section 3.

REQUIREMENT

New requirement that autopsy reports must include photographs of the body, microscopic slides, and post-mortem x-rays taken by or reviewed by the person performing the autopsy

TECHNICAL

Original Section 2 was removed and its content renumbered as Section 3

Bill title changed from 'A5424' to 'A5424--A' indicating it has been amended and reprinted

Committee status updated to show bill was discharged, amended, and recommitted to the Committee on Local Governments

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Jan 7, 2026

Committee

REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

lower

May 29, 2025

Lower · Passed

PRINT NUMBER 5424A

lower

May 29, 2025

Lower · Passed

AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

lower

Feb 14, 2025

Committee

REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

lower

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors