| 1 | 1 | | 84R1757 SCL-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Johnson H.B. No. 1097 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the release of veteran autopsy reports to the United |
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| 8 | 8 | | States Department of Veterans Affairs. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 671, Health and Safety |
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| 11 | 11 | | Code, is amended by adding Section 671.014 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 671.014. VETERAN AUTOPSY REPORTS. (a) In this section, |
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| 13 | 13 | | "veteran" has the meaning assigned by Section 2308.251, Government |
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| 14 | 14 | | Code. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (b) The office designated by an autopsy order shall maintain |
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| 16 | 16 | | an autopsy report filed with the office for each deceased person for |
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| 17 | 17 | | whom there is a reasonable likelihood the person was a veteran until |
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| 18 | 18 | | a copy of the autopsy report is released to the United States |
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| 19 | 19 | | Department of Veterans Affairs. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (c) Except as provided by Subsection (d), a representative |
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| 21 | 21 | | of the office designated by the autopsy order shall release on |
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| 22 | 22 | | request a deceased veteran's autopsy report that includes the time, |
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| 23 | 23 | | place, and cause of death, if known, to the United States Department |
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| 24 | 24 | | of Veterans Affairs not later than the 15th business day after the |
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| 25 | 25 | | date the office receives the request from the department. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (d) If an autopsy report has not been filed as required by |
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| 27 | 27 | | Section 671.012, a representative of the office designated by the |
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| 28 | 28 | | autopsy order shall, not later than the 10th business day after the |
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| 29 | 29 | | date of a request received under Subsection (c), notify the United |
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| 30 | 30 | | States Department of Veterans Affairs that the autopsy report has |
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| 31 | 31 | | not been filed and the date, to the best of the knowledge of the |
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| 32 | 32 | | representative, that the department may anticipate receiving the |
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| 33 | 33 | | report. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (e) A representative of the office designated by the autopsy |
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| 35 | 35 | | order may notify the United States Department of Veterans Affairs |
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| 36 | 36 | | of the availability of the autopsy report if there is a reasonable |
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| 37 | 37 | | likelihood that the deceased person was a veteran and a request for |
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| 38 | 38 | | the autopsy report has not been submitted to the office by the |
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| 39 | 39 | | department. |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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