FAILURE TO REPORT A DEAD BODY

House Bill 4349

Sponsor:  Rep. Richard LeBlanc

Committee:  Judiciary

Complete to 6-8-09

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4349 AS INTRODUCED 2-19-09

The bill would make it a misdemeanor to fail to report the discovery of a dead body to a law enforcement agency or 9-1-1 operator.

House Bill 4349 would amend the Public Health Code by adding Section 2841 (MCL 333.2841) to require an individual who discovers the body of an individual that he or she knows or has reason to know is dead to immediately inform a law enforcement agency or 9-1-1 operator of the discovery.  A person in violation of this subsection would be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year and/or a fine of not more than $1,000.  (The bill would not apply to persons already required under the code to report deaths in certain circumstances, such as funeral home directors.) 

The bill would take effect October 1, 2010.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The bill's fiscal impact on local correctional systems would depend on how it affected the numbers of criminal convictions and severity of sentences.  There are no data to indicate how many people might be convicted under the bill.  The costs of any increase in misdemeanor convictions would fall to local units of governments; local costs could include jail and misdemeanor probation supervision, both of which vary by county.  Any increase in penal fine revenues could benefit local libraries, which are the constitutionally-designated recipients of such revenues.

                                                                                           Legislative Analyst:   Susan Stutzky

                                                                                                  Fiscal Analyst:   Marilyn Peterson

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.