Sec. 9.
(1) If a county medical examiner or his or her designee receives notification from a person other than a representative of a hospital of a death that requires an investigation by the county medical examiner's office pursuant to this act, the county medical examiner or his or her designee shall take charge of the body. If, upon viewing the body and personally inquiring into the cause and manner of the death, the county medical examiner or his or her designee determines that the body, subject to part 101 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.10101 to 333.10123, and according to criteria established by Michigan's federally designated organ procurement organization, may be suitable for donation or for the donation of body parts, the county medical examiner or his or her designee shall, in a timely manner as prescribed under subsection (2), contact Michigan's federally designated organ procurement organization or its successor organization as defined in section 10102 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.10102. If contacted by the federally designated organ procurement organization or other procurement organization, or both, the county medical examiner shall enter into an agreement with the federally designated organ procurement organization and other procurement organization that coordinates the recovery and allocation of anatomical donations in that county. The agreement shall outline the procedures and protocols of each party to assure that transplantable organs, tissues, and eyes are obtained from potential donors and shall meet the requirements of part 101 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.10101 to 333.10123. The agreement shall provide that if any extraordinary medical examinations are necessary prior to the removal of organs, tissues, or eyes, the procurement organization shall cover those costs. The county medical examiner or his or her designee may release any information to the federally designated organ procurement organization or other procurement organization that is necessary to identify potential organ, tissue, or eye donors and seek consent for such donations in accordance with part 101 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.10101 to 333.10123. A county medical examiner or his or her designee shall not discuss the option of organ donation with any individual with the authority to make a gift under part 101 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.10101 to 333.10123.
(2) If an investigation of the cause and manner of death, regardless of whether the death occurred in a hospital or not, is required under this act and the county medical examiner or his or her designee has notice that the individual is a donor or that a gift of all or a part of that individual's body has been made pursuant to part 101 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.10101 to 333.10123, the county medical examiner or his or her designee shall conduct the examination of the dead body within a time period that permits organs, tissues, and eyes to remain viable for transplant. If the county medical examiner or his or her designee is unable to conduct the investigation within that period of time, a health professional or technician who is authorized to remove an anatomical gift from a donor under part 101 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.10101 to 333.10123, may remove the donated tissues or organs, or both, in order to preserve the viability of the donated tissues or organs for transplant upon notifying the county medical examiner or his or her designee. If the county medical examiner or his or her designee determines that an organ may be related to the cause of death, the county medical examiner or his or her designee may do 1 or more of the following:
(a) Request to be present during the removal of the donated organs.
(b) Request a biopsy of the donated organs.
(3) This section shall be known and may be cited as "Kyle Ray Horning's law".
History: Add. 2005, Act 176, Imd. Eff. Oct. 19, 2005 ;-- Am. 2008, Act 38, Imd. Eff. Mar. 17, 2008
Last modified: October 10, 2016