House Bill hb1633

    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 1633

        By Representative Evers






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to unclaimed bodies; amending

  3         s. 245.06, F.S.; providing procedures for

  4         disposition of unclaimed bodies of veterans;

  5         requiring that any contract for disposal of

  6         unclaimed remains by a local governmental

  7         entity provide for compliance with certain

  8         state and federal regulations; providing an

  9         effective date.

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11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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13         Section 1.  Section 245.06, Florida Statutes, is

14  amended to read:

15         245.06  Unclaimed dead bodies or human remains;

16  disposition, procedure.--All public officers, agents, or

17  employees of every county, city, village, town, or

18  municipality and every person in charge of any prison, morgue,

19  hospital, funeral parlor, or mortuary and all other persons

20  coming into possession, charge, or control of any dead human

21  body or remains which are is unclaimed or which are is

22  required to be buried or cremated at public expense are hereby

23  required to notify, immediately, the anatomical board,

24  whenever any such body, or bodies, or remains come into its

25  possession, charge, or control. Notification of the anatomical

26  board is not required if the death was caused by crushing

27  injury, the deceased had a contagious disease, an autopsy was

28  required to determine cause of death, the body was in a state

29  of severe decomposition, or a family member objects to use of

30  the body for medical education and research.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 1633

    801-100B-02






  1         (1)  The person or entity in charge or control of the

  2  dead body or human remains shall make a reasonable effort to

  3  determine:

  4         (a)  The identity of the deceased person body and shall

  5  further make a reasonable effort to contact any relatives of

  6  such deceased person.

  7         (b)  Whether or not the deceased person is entitled to

  8  burial in a national cemetery as a veteran of the armed forces

  9  and, if so, shall make arrangements for such burial services

10  in accordance with the provisions of 38 C.F.R. For purposes of

11  this subsection "a reasonable effort" includes contacting the

12  county veterans service office or regional office of the

13  United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

14         (2)  Such dead human bodies as described in this

15  chapter shall be delivered to the anatomical board as soon as

16  possible after death.

17         (3)  Nothing herein shall affect the right of a medical

18  examiner to hold such dead body or remains for the purpose of

19  investigating the cause of death, nor shall this chapter

20  affect the right of any court of competent jurisdiction to

21  enter an order affecting the disposition of such body or

22  remains.

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24  For purposes of this chapter, the term "anatomical board"

25  means the anatomical board of this state located at the

26  University of Florida Health Science Center.

27         Section 2.  Any contract by a local governmental entity

28  for the disposal of unclaimed human remains must provide for

29  compliance with s. 245.06(1), Florida Statutes, and require

30  that the procedures in 38 C.F.R., relating to disposition of

31  unclaimed deceased veterans, be followed.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 1633

    801-100B-02






  1         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

  2  law.

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  5                          HOUSE SUMMARY

  6
      With respect to unclaimed bodies, requires that a
  7    reasonable effort be made to determine if the deceased
      person is a veteran of the armed forces and, if so, that
  8    arrangements be made pursuant to federal regulations for
      proper burial services. Requires any contract for
  9    disposal of unclaimed human remains let by a local
      governmental entity provide for compliance with certain
10    state and federal procedures relating to the unclaimed
      human remains of a veteran.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.