Every head officer of a hospital, nursing home, correctional facility, funeral parlor, or mortuary and every county medical examiner or coroner and every state or county officer, and every other person who has possession, charge, or control of any unclaimed dead human body that may undergo cremation as defined in section 531B-2 at public expense pursuant to section 346-15 shall:

1. (1) Exercise due diligence to notify the relatives and friends of the decedent, any representative of a fraternal society of which the deceased was a member, and any legally responsible party; and

2. (2) Submit in writing to the department of human services a description of the efforts used in making the determination that the dead human body is unclaimed in accordance with section 346-15, if payment for cremation is sought.

   Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the requirements relating to the filing of a certificate of death with the department of health pursuant to chapter 338.

[L 1967, c 240, pt of §1; HRS §327-32; am L 2012, c 75, §3; am L 2022, c 294, §3]