An Act To Attract and Retain Medical Examiners by Increasing the Fees for Services Provided by Medical Examiners
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1565
Committee: Judiciary
Sponsors: BURNS, HOBBINS
Amends: 22 MRSA §3024, 22 MRSA §3035, 32 MRSA §1405

Legislative Document 
No. 1565 
S.P. 617 
In Senate, January 21, 2016 
An Act To Attract and Retain Medical Examiners by Increasing the 
Fees for Services Provided by Medical Examiners 
Submitted by the Department of the Attorney General pursuant to Joint Rule 203. 
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator BURNS of Washington. 
Cosponsored by Representative HOBBINS of Saco. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §3024, first ¶, as amended by PL 2013, c. 368, Pt. CC, §1, is 
further amended to read: 
The salary of the Chief Medical Examiner of the State must be set by the Governor.  
Other nonsalaried medical examiners and nonsalaried medicolegal death investigators, 
upon the submission of their completed report to the Chief Medical Examiner, must be 
paid a fee of up to $85 $100 for an inspection and view and are entitled to receive travel 
expenses to be calculated at the mileage rate currently paid to state employees pursuant to 
Title 5, section 8.  An additional fee of $50 may be authorized by the Chief Medical 
Examiner for payment to other nonsalaried medical examiners and nonsalaried 
medicolegal death investigators for visits to death scenes other than hospitals. 
Sec. 2.  22 MRSA §3035, sub-§1, ¶¶A and B, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 598, 
§1, are amended to read: 
A.  For report documents, the fees are as follows: 
(1)  Report documents when no autopsy has been performed, $10 $15; 
(2)  Report documents when an autopsy has been performed, $25 $35; and 
(3)  Report documents under subparagraphs (1) and (2) accompanied by a 
certificate under section 3022, subsection 6, an additional fee of $35, $25 of 
which accrues to the Secretary of State; 
B.  For histological slides, the fees are as follows: 
(1)  For each slide, $10 $12.50; 
(2)  A handling fee per case, $20 $25; and 
(3)  For 21 slides or more, an additional handling fee, $20 $25; and 
Sec. 3.  32 MRSA §1405, 2nd ¶, as amended by PL 2007, c. 225, §1, is further 
amended to read: 
The body of a deceased person may not be cremated within 48 hours after death 
unless the person died of a contagious or infectious disease, and in no event may the body 
of a deceased person be cremated, buried at sea, used by medical science or removed 
from the State until the person, firm or corporation in charge of the disposition has 
received a certificate from a duly appointed medical examiner that the medical examiner 
has made personal inquiry into the cause and manner of death and is satisfied that further 
examination or judicial inquiry concerning the cause and manner of death is not 
necessary.  This certificate, a certified copy of the death certificate and a burial transit 
permit when presented by the authorized person as defined in Title 22, section 2846 is 
sufficient authority for cremation, burial at sea, use by medical science or removal from 
the State, and the person, firm or corporation in charge of the disposition may not refuse 
to cremate or otherwise dispose of the body solely because these documents are presented 
by such an authorized person.  The certificate must be retained by the person, firm or 
corporation in charge of the cremation or disposition for a period of 15 years. For the 
certificate, the medical examiner must receive a fee of $15 $25 payable by the person 
requesting the certificate.  This fee may be waived at the discretion of the Chief Medical 
Examiner. 
SUMMARY 
This bill increases the maximum fee allowed to be paid to a nonsalaried medical 
examiner or a nonsalaried medicolegal death investigator for an inspection and view. 
It increases the fees charged by the Department of the Attorney General, Office of 
Chief Medical Examiner for providing report documents and histological slides.  It also 
increases the fee charged by a medical examiner for a certificate that is required for 
cremation and allows this fee to be waived at the discretion of the Chief Medical 
Examiner.