Chief Patron: O'Bannon
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Death Investigators

Item 308 #1h

Language
Page 286, line 5, strike "$5,727,691" and insert "$5,988,159".

Explanation
(This amendment restores funding to the Department of Health for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to hire four district office medical investigators. Funding was approved during the 1998 General Assembly Session for the additional staff, based on recommendations of the Crime Commission in its 1998 "Report on the Need for a Lay Medical Investigator System" to address the shortage of local medical examiners across the state. However, budget reductions adopted in 2002 resulted in the loss of these four positions and one administrative support position in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Loss of these positions has resulted in case delays. Restoration of the positions would allow coverage of two investigative shifts on weekdays.)