H.B. No. 423
 
AN ACT
relating to requiring that medical examiners and justices of the
peace report certain deaths that result from a motor vehicle
accident to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
       BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
       SECTION 1.  Section 550.081, Transportation Code, is amended
to read as follows:
       Sec. 550.081.  [CORONER'S] REPORT OF MEDICAL EXAMINER OR
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.  (a) A medical examiner or justice of the
peace acting as coroner in a county that does not have a medical
examiner's office or that is not part of a medical examiner's
district [other officer performing similar functions] shall submit
a [, not later than the 10th day of each month:
             [(1)]  report in writing to the department of the death
of a person that was [within the officer's jurisdiction during the
preceding calendar month as] the result of a traffic accident to
which this chapter applies and that occurred within the
jurisdiction of the medical examiner or justice of the peace in the
preceding calendar quarter.
       (b)  The [; and
             [(2)include in the] report must be submitted before
the 11th day of each calendar month and include:
             (1)  the name of the deceased and a statement as to
whether the deceased was:
                   (A)  the operator of or a passenger in a vehicle
involved in the accident; or
                   (B)  a pedestrian or other nonoccupant of a
vehicle;
             (2)  the date of the accident and the name of the county
in which the accident occurred;
             (3)  the name of any laboratory, medical examiner's
office, or other facility that conducted toxicological testing
relative to the deceased; and
             (4)  the results of any toxicological testing that was
conducted [the time, place, and circumstances of the accident].
       (c)  A report required by this section shall be sent to:
             (1)  the crash records bureau of the department at its
headquarters in Austin; or
             (2)  any other office or bureau of the department that
the department designates.
       (d)  If toxicological test results are not available to the
medical examiner or justice of the peace on the date a report must
be submitted, the medical examiner or justice shall:
             (1)  submit a report that includes the statement
"toxicological test results unavailable"; and
             (2)  submit a supplement to the report that contains
the information required by Subsections (b)(3) and (4) as soon as
practicable after the toxicological test results become available.
       (e)  The department shall prepare and when requested supply
to medical examiners' offices and justices of the peace the forms
necessary to make the reports required by this section.
       SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.
____________________________________________________________
   President of the SenateSpeaker of the House      
       I certify that H.B. No. 423 was passed by the House on March
28, 2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 143, Nays 0, 1 present, not
voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House   
       I certify that H.B. No. 423 was passed by the Senate on May 1,
2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate    
APPROVED:  _____________________
APPROVED:  _____________________
                   Date          
 
 
          _____________________
                 Governor