New York A 5424: Establishes the Terry Cooper autopsy accountability act

Bill Text

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A05424 Summary:

BILL NOA05424A

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SAME ASSAME AS S02510-A

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SPONSORGallagher

&nbsp

COSPNSRForrest, Taylor, Torres

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MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Amd §§674 & 677, County L

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Establishes the Terry Cooper autopsy accountability act requiring autopsy reports to include all photographs of the body, microscopic slides, and post-mortem x-rays taken by, at the direction of, or reviewed by the person performing the autopsy.

Go to top A05424 Actions:

BILL NOA05424A

&nbsp

02/14/2025referred to local governments

05/29/2025amend and recommit to local governments

05/29/2025print number 5424a

01/07/2026referred to local governments

Go to topA05424 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA05424 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA05424 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 5424--A

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 February 14, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. GALLAGHER -- read once and referred to the
 Committee on Local Governments -- committee discharged, bill amended,
 ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

 AN ACT to amend the county law, in relation to requiring autopsy reports
 to include photographs, microscopic slides, and post-mortem x-rays
 taken by, at the direction of, or reviewed by the person performing
 the autopsy

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Terry
 2 Cooper autopsy accountability act".
 3 § 2. Subdivision 5 of section 674 of the county law, as amended by
 4 chapter 322 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
 5 5. Notwithstanding section six hundred seventy of this article or any
 6 other provision of law, the coroner, coroner's physician or medical
 7 examiner shall promptly perform or cause to be performed an autopsy and
 8 to prepare an autopsy report which shall include a toxicological report
 9 and any report of any examination or inquiry with respect to any death
 10 occurring within [his or her] such coroner's, coroner's physician's or
 11 medical examiner's county to an incarcerated individual of a correction-
 12 al facility as defined by subdivision three of section forty of the
 13 correction law, whether or not the death occurred inside such facility.
 14 For the purposes of this subdivision, in addition to anything else
 15 required by law, an autopsy report shall include all photographs of the
 16 body, microscopic slides, and post-mortem x-rays taken by or at the
 17 direction of the person performing the autopsy, and all photographs,
 18 microscopic slides, and post-mortem x-rays reviewed by the person
 19 performing the autopsy in the course of their examination or in the
 20 course of their diagnosis of the cause of death and the means or manner
 21 of death.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD05959-04-5

 A. 5424--A 2

 1 § 3. Subdivision 6 of section 677 of the county law, as amended by
 2 chapter 322 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
 3 6. Notwithstanding section six hundred seventy of this article or any
 4 other provision of law, the coroner, coroner's physician or medical
 5 examiner shall promptly provide the [chairman] chairperson of the
 6 correction medical review board and the commissioner of corrections and
 7 community supervision with copies of any autopsy report, toxicological
 8 report or any report of any examination or inquiry prepared with respect
 9 to any death occurring to an incarcerated individual of a correctional
 10 facility as defined by subdivision three of section forty of the
 11 correction law within [his or her] their county; and shall promptly
 12 provide the executive director of the justice center for the protection
 13 of people with special needs with copies of any autopsy report, toxicol-
 14 ogy report or any report of any examination or inquiry prepared with
 15 respect to the death of any service recipient occurring while [he or
 16 she] such person was a resident in any facility operated, licensed or
 17 certified by any agency within the department of mental hygiene, the
 18 office