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Current Status Bill Number:View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.1023 Ratification Number:345 Act Number:272 Type of Legislation:General Bill GB Introducing Body:Senate Introduced Date:20020214 Primary Sponsor:Bauer All Sponsors:Bauer, Giese, Mescher, Ravenel, Hayes, Ryberg, O'Dell, Gregory, Grooms, Kuhn, Martin and Branton Drafted Document Number:l:\council\bills\ggs\22282cm02.doc Date Bill Passed both Bodies:20020516 Date of Last Amendment:20020425 Governor's Action:S Date of Governor's Action:20020528 Subject:Cause of death, provisions regarding medical certification of cause of death on death certificates; reports of birth, death, and fetal death to be transmitted to State Registrar History Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved ______ ________ ______________________________________ _______ ____________ ------ 20020613 Act No. A272 ------ 20020528 Signed by Governor ------ 20020522 Ratified R345 House 20020516 Read third time, enrolled for ratification House 20020515 Read second time House 20020509 Recalled from Committee 25 HJ House 20020501 Introduced, read first time, 25 HJ referred to Committee Senate 20020430 Read third time, sent to House ------ 20020429 Scrivener's error corrected Senate 20020425 Amended, read second time ------ 20020425 Scrivener's error corrected Senate 20020424 Committee report: Favorable with 11 SJ amendment Senate 20020214 Introduced, read first time, 11 SJ referred to Committee Versions of This Bill Revised on April 24, 2002 - Word format Revised on April 25, 2002 - Word format Revised on April 25, 2002-A - Word format Revised on April 29, 2002 - Word format Revised on May 9, 2002 - Word format
(A272, R345, S1023)
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 17-5-560, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE CERTIFICATION OF THE CAUSE OF DEATH ON A DEATH CERTIFICATE BY A CORONER, DEPUTY CORONER, MEDICAL EXAMINER, OR DEPUTY MEDICAL EXAMINER, SO AS TO MAKE TECHNICAL CHANGES, AND TO PROVIDE DEFINITIONS FOR THE TERMS "SIGN", "SIGNED", AND "SIGNATURE"; AND TO AMEND SECTION 44-63-40, RELATING TO THE APPOINTMENT OF AND DUTIES OF COUNTY REGISTRARS, DEPUTY REGISTRARS, AND SUBREGISTRARS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT REPORTS OF BIRTH, DEATH, AND FETAL DEATH MUST BE TRANSMITTED TO THE STATE REGISTRAR AT INTERVALS PRESCRIBED BY THE STATE REGISTRAR AND NO LONGER TO THE COUNTY REGISTRAR.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
Certification of the cause of death
SECTION 1. Section 17-5-560 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 73 of 2001, is amended to read:
"Section 17-5-560. (A) The coroner, deputy coroner, medical examiner, or deputy medical examiner must, in any case investigated, complete and sign the medical certification portion of the death certificate within twenty-four hours after being notified of the death.
(B) The coroner or medical examiner must, at the time of releasing a body to a funeral director or person acting as a funeral director, or as soon as practical after releasing the body, execute and sign the medical certification of the cause of death on the prescribed form.
(C) In any case where autopsy is scheduled and the coroner or medical examiner wishes to await its gross findings to confirm a tentative clinical finding, the coroner or medical examiner must give the funeral director notice as to when he expects to have the medical data necessary for the certification of cause of death. If the certificate cannot be signed within the prescribed time set forth, the coroner or medical examiner must indicate that the cause of death is pending and sign the certification accordingly. Immediately after the medical data necessary for determining the cause of death has been made known, the coroner or medical examiner must, over his signature, forward the cause of death to the registrar and notify the funeral director involved that this action has been taken.
(D) As used in this section, the terms 'sign', 'signed', or 'signature' mean a written signature or an electronic signature authorized in the Electronic Commerce Act, Chapter 5, Title 26."
The State Registrar
SECTION 2. Section 44-63-40 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 44-63-40. The State Registrar must appoint the chief administrative officer of each county health department as the county registrar. All persons in the county required by law to file reports of birth, death, and fetal death must transmit these reports to the State Registrar at intervals prescribed by the State Registrar. The county registrar may appoint a deputy registrar who is vested with the right to carry on the duties of the office. The county registrar and deputy registrar must carry out the duties formerly carried out by local registrars without additional compensation. The county registrar must appoint a subregistrar for each hospital, nursing home, and other institution as required within the county whose duty it is to issue Burial-Removal-Transit Permits for deaths occurring at the hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions. The county registrar must require the coroner of the county to issue Burial-Removal-Transit Permits for deaths occurring outside hospitals, nursing homes, or other institutions."
Time effective
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
Ratified the 22nd day of May, 2002.
Approved the 28th day of May, 2002.
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