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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1378 FILED ON: 1/14/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2464 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Sally P. Kerans |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act relative to abandoned remains. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Sally P. Kerans13th Essex1/14/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1378 FILED ON: 1/14/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2464 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Kerans of Danvers, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2464) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Sally P. Kerans relative to abandoned remains or dead bodies. Public Health. |
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| 20 | 20 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 21 | 21 | | SEE HOUSE, NO. 2208 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
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| 24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 26 | 26 | | _______________ |
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| 27 | 27 | | An Act relative to abandoned remains. |
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| 28 | 28 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 29 | 29 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | 1 SECTION 1. Section 1 of Chapter 38 of the Massachusetts General Laws shall be |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2amended by adding the following definition: |
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| 32 | 32 | | 3 “Abandoned Remains”- The remains or a dead body that no one has taken legal authority |
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| 33 | 33 | | 4of the body for a period of 15 days. |
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| 34 | 34 | | 5 SECTION 2. Chapter 38 of the Massachusetts General Laws shall be amended by |
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| 35 | 35 | | 6inserting after Section 16, the following new Section: |
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| 36 | 36 | | 7 Section 17. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the office of the |
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| 37 | 37 | | 8chief medical officer shall accept for temporary storage abandoned remains, as defined in this |
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| 38 | 38 | | 9chapter, of persons who have died of natural causes in facilities licensed by the department of |
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| 39 | 39 | | 10public health under MGL Chapter 111 Section 71 or under MGL Chapter 111 Section 51 or other 2 of 2 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 11facilities upon written request of the appropriate facility administrator, in the case of |
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| 41 | 41 | | 12abandonment, no designated next of kin, or written plan of disposition. The office may |
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| 42 | 42 | | 13subsequently release the body to the department of transitional assistance as allowed by Section |
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| 43 | 43 | | 1413 of this Chapter. |
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