Autopsies and cremation of bodies of persons who died of COVID-19

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Correctional system Death of an inmate Under current law, if an individual dies while he or she is in the legal custody of the Department of Corrections and confined to a correctional facility located in this state, an autopsy on the deceased individual must be performed. Under this bill, until the conclusion of a national emergency declared by the U.S. president under 50 USC 1621 in response to the 2019 novel coronavirus, if an individual who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 dies, the coroner or medical examiner may perform a limited examination of the deceased individual instead of a full autopsy, which may include an external examination of the body of the deceased individual, a review of the deceased individual's medical records, or a review of the deceased individual's radiographs. These changes were enacted in 2019 Wisconsin Act 185 but applied only during the state of emergency related to public health declared on March 12, 2020.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Cremation permits and electronic signature of death certificates Under current law, a coroner or medical examiner must view the corpse of a deceased person before issuing a cremation permit, and the corpse may not be cremated within 48 hours after the death unless the death was caused by a contagious or infectious disease. Under this bill, until the conclusion of a national emergency declared by the U.S. president under 50 USC 1621 in response to the 2019 novel coronavirus, if a physician, coroner, or medical examiner has signed the death certificate of a deceased person and listed COVID-19 as the cause of death, a coroner or medical examiner must issue a cremation permit without viewing the corpse of a deceased person and a coroner or medical examiner must issue the permit within 48 hours after the time of death. The bill also requires that if the underlying cause of a death is determined to be COVID-19, the person required to sign the death certificate shall provide an electronic signature on the death certificate within 48 hours after the death occurs. These changes to the requirements were enacted in 2019 Wisconsin Act 185 , but applied only during the state of emergency related to public health declared on March 12, 2020.

Who's behind it

11 senators are its authors⁠. All 11 are Democrats.

38 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.