SB 458 – Post Traumatic Stress Injury Day/Cardiac Task Force/Titus’s Law

Primary Sponsors: Sen. Harry Brown (R-Onslow), Sen. Jeff Jackson (D-), Sen. Jim Burgin (R-Harnett)

Bill Summary

Posttraumatic Stress Injury Day

This bill established June 27th as Posttraumatic Stress Injury Awareness day in NC.

Cardiac Task Force

This bill creates a Joint Legislative Task Force on Sudden Cardiac Arrest in student athletes. One of the members of the task force will be a member of the American Heart Association. The Task Force will study the following:

  • Frequency of sudden cardiac arrest in student athletes
  • Strategies to mitigate risks (Example – mandatory heart exams)
  • Costs of requiring student athletes to be tested for heart conditions

Titus’s Law

This portion of the bill states that in every instance of unintended fetal death resulting from accidental injury, still birth, or miscarriage, the attending physician or individual in charge of the institution shall obtain consent from the mother before disposal. The remains may only be disposed by burial, cremation, or inceneration.

If the mother is unable to provide consent, and the father is known and unable to be contacted  within 7 days, the father could provide consent for the fetal remains disposal.

If the mother nor father are able to consent within 7 days, the remains shall only be disposed by burial, cremation, or inceneration.

Burial or cremation shall be the only method of disposing the remains that have developed beyond the completion of the second trimester.

Bill Movement

This bill was filed on April 1, 2019.

Senate Committees

  • Local Government – passed April 30, 2019
  • Rules – passed May 1, 2o19

Senate Floor

  • This bill was amended to add a Joint Legislative Task Force on Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Student Athletes. This amendment passed 49-0 on May 5, 2019.
  • This bill was sent to the House on May 6, 2019.

House Committees

  • Health – A proposed committee substitute passed this committee on July 30, 2019. The bill now includes the provisions in Titus’s law filed earlier this session which describes how fetal remains can be disposed by hospitals.
  • Rules – A proposed committee substitute was passed in this committee on August 5, 2019. The bill now includes a member of the American Heart Association to the Sudden Cardiac Death Task Force.
  • This bill passed the House on August 6, 2019 and was sent to the Senate for concurrence.
  • On August 13, 2019, the Senate voted not to concur with the House changes. A conference committee of House and Senate members will be appointed to discuss what provisions will move forward.