Bill > A09513

This bill expands the authority of local health officials to request copies of death-related reports and records, such as autopsy and toxicology reports, for official public health purposes. Previously, the state commissioner of health or their designee could request these documents, and the designee could include a local health official. Now, a local health officer, defined by the Public Health Law, can directly request these records when a death occurs within their jurisdiction or if the deceased was a resident of their district and experienced a qualifying injury, received significant medical care, or was pronounced dead there. Coroners, coroner's physicians, or medical examiners must provide these records within three days of completion for deaths within the requesting official's jurisdiction, or within seven days of completion or receipt of the request for deaths outside the jurisdiction. The bill also requires local health officers to maintain logs of requests made outside their jurisdiction and to notify the health officer of the relevant jurisdiction.

Government Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A9513