Bill Text: IL HB2627 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Amends the Counties Code. Provides that all deaths that occur in nursing homes or facilities operated by the State shall be reported to the coroner of the county in which the facility is located. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2014-12-03 - Session Sine Die [HB2627 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-HB2627-Amended.html

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Rep. Silvana Tabares

Filed: 3/15/2013

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AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2627
AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 2627 by replacing
everything after the enacting clause with the following:
"Section 5. The Counties Code is amended by changing
Section 3-3013 as follows:
(55 ILCS 5/3-3013) (from Ch. 34, par. 3-3013)
Sec. 3-3013. Preliminary investigations; blood and urine
analysis; summoning jury; reports. Every coroner, whenever, as
soon as he knows or is informed that the dead body of any
person is found, or lying within his county, whose death is
suspected of being:
(a) A sudden or violent death, whether apparently
suicidal, homicidal or accidental, including but not
limited to deaths apparently caused or contributed to by
thermal, traumatic, chemical, electrical or radiational
injury, or a complication of any of them, or by drowning or

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suffocation, or as a result of domestic violence as defined
in the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986;
(b) A maternal or fetal death due to abortion, or any
death due to a sex crime or a crime against nature;
(c) A death where the circumstances are suspicious,
obscure, mysterious or otherwise unexplained or where, in
the written opinion of the attending physician, the cause
of death is not determined;
(d) A death where addiction to alcohol or to any drug
may have been a contributory cause; or
(e) A death where the decedent was not attended by a
licensed physician;
shall go to the place where the dead body is, and take charge
of the same and shall make a preliminary investigation into the
circumstances of the death. In the case of death without
attendance by a licensed physician the body may be moved with
the coroner's consent from the place of death to a mortuary in
the same county. Coroners in their discretion shall notify such
physician as is designated in accordance with Section 3-3014 to
attempt to ascertain the cause of death, either by autopsy or
otherwise.
In cases of accidental death involving a motor vehicle in
which the decedent was (1) the operator or a suspected operator
of a motor vehicle, or (2) a pedestrian 16 years of age or
older, the coroner shall require that a blood specimen of at
least 30 cc., and if medically possible a urine specimen of at

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least 30 cc. or as much as possible up to 30 cc., be withdrawn
from the body of the decedent in a timely fashion after the
accident causing his death, by such physician as has been
designated in accordance with Section 3-3014, or by the coroner
or deputy coroner or a qualified person designated by such
physician, coroner, or deputy coroner. If the county does not
maintain laboratory facilities for making such analysis, the
blood and urine so drawn shall be sent to the Department of
State Police or any other accredited or State-certified
laboratory for analysis of the alcohol, carbon monoxide, and
dangerous or narcotic drug content of such blood and urine
specimens. Each specimen submitted shall be accompanied by
pertinent information concerning the decedent upon a form
prescribed by such laboratory. Any person drawing blood and
urine and any person making any examination of the blood and
urine under the terms of this Division shall be immune from all
liability, civil or criminal, that might otherwise be incurred
or imposed.
In all other cases coming within the jurisdiction of the
coroner and referred to in subparagraphs (a) through (e) above,
blood, and whenever possible, urine samples shall be analyzed
for the presence of alcohol and other drugs. When the coroner
suspects that drugs may have been involved in the death, either
directly or indirectly, a toxicological examination shall be
performed which may include analyses of blood, urine, bile,
gastric contents and other tissues. When the coroner suspects a

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death is due to toxic substances, other than drugs, the coroner
shall consult with the toxicologist prior to collection of
samples. Information submitted to the toxicologist shall
include information as to height, weight, age, sex and race of
the decedent as well as medical history, medications used by
and the manner of death of decedent.
When the coroner or medical examiner finds that the cause
of death is due to homicidal means, the coroner or medical
examiner shall cause blood and buccal specimens (tissue may be
submitted if no uncontaminated blood or buccal specimen can be
obtained), whenever possible, to be withdrawn from the body of
the decedent in a timely fashion. Within 45 days after the
collection of the specimens, the coroner or medical examiner
shall deliver those specimens, dried, to the Illinois
Department of State Police, Division of Forensic Services, for
analysis and categorizing into genetic marker groupings to be
maintained by the Illinois Department of State Police in the
State central repository in the same manner, and subject to the
same conditions, as provided in Section 5-4-3 of the Unified
Code of Corrections. The requirements of this paragraph are in
addition to any other findings, specimens, or information that
the coroner or medical examiner is required to provide during
the conduct of a criminal investigation.
In all counties, in cases of apparent suicide, homicide, or
accidental death or in other cases, within the discretion of
the coroner, the coroner may summon 8 persons of lawful age

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from those persons drawn for petit jurors in the county. The
summons shall command these persons to present themselves
personally at such a place and time as the coroner shall
determine, and may be in any form which the coroner shall
determine and may incorporate any reasonable form of request
for acknowledgement which the coroner deems practical and
provides a reliable proof of service. The summons may be served
by first class mail. From the 8 persons so summoned, the
coroner shall select 6 to serve as the jury for the inquest.
Inquests may be continued from time to time, as the coroner may
deem necessary. The 6 jurors selected in a given case may view
the body of the deceased. If at any continuation of an inquest
one or more of the original jurors shall be unable to continue
to serve, the coroner shall fill the vacancy or vacancies. A
juror serving pursuant to this paragraph shall receive
compensation from the county at the same rate as the rate of
compensation that is paid to petit or grand jurors in the
county. The coroner shall furnish to each juror without fee at
the time of his discharge a certificate of the number of days
in attendance at an inquest, and, upon being presented with
such certificate, the county treasurer shall pay to the juror
the sum provided for his services.
In counties which have a jury commission, in cases of
apparent suicide or homicide or of accidental death, the
coroner may conduct an inquest. The jury commission shall
provide at least 8 jurors to the coroner, from whom the coroner

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shall select any 6 to serve as the jury for the inquest.
Inquests may be continued from time to time as the coroner may
deem necessary. The 6 jurors originally chosen in a given case
may view the body of the deceased. If at any continuation of an
inquest one or more of the 6 jurors originally chosen shall be
unable to continue to serve, the coroner shall fill the vacancy
or vacancies. At the coroner's discretion, additional jurors to
fill such vacancies shall be supplied by the jury commission. A
juror serving pursuant to this paragraph in such county shall
receive compensation from the county at the same rate as the
rate of compensation that is paid to petit or grand jurors in
the county.
In every case in which a fire is determined to be a
contributing factor in a death, the coroner shall report the
death to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. The coroner
shall provide a copy of the death certificate (i) within 30
days after filing the permanent death certificate and (ii) in a
manner that is agreed upon by the coroner and the State Fire
Marshal.
In addition, in every case in which domestic violence is
determined to be a contributing factor in a death, the coroner
shall report the death to the Department of State Police.
All deaths in State institutions or in facilities
registered under the Nursing Home Care Act and all deaths of
wards of the State in private care facilities or in programs
funded by the Department of Human Services under its powers

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relating to mental health and developmental disabilities or
alcoholism and substance abuse or funded by the Department of
Children and Family Services shall be reported to the coroner
of the county in which the facility is located. If the coroner
has reason to believe that an investigation is needed to
determine whether the death was caused by maltreatment or
negligent care of the ward of the State, the coroner may
conduct a preliminary investigation of the circumstances of
such death as in cases of death under circumstances set forth
in paragraphs (a) through (e) of this Section.
(Source: P.A. 95-484, eff. 6-1-08; 96-1059, eff. 7-14-10.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.".