1. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 259.047, a law enforcement officer, correctional officer, emergency medical attendant, firefighter, county coroner or medical examiner or any of their employees or volunteers, any other person who is employed by or is a volunteer for an agency of criminal justice or any other public employee or volunteer for a public agency who, in the course of his or her official duties, comes into contact with human blood or bodily fluids, or the employer of such a person or the public agency for which the person volunteers, may petition a court for an order requiring the testing of a person or decedent for exposure to a communicable disease if the person or decedent may have exposed the officer, emergency medical attendant, firefighter, county coroner or medical examiner or their employee or volunteer, other person employed by or volunteering for an agency of criminal justice or other public employee or volunteer for a public agency to a communicable disease.

2. When possible, before filing a petition pursuant to subsection 1, the person, employer or public agency for which the person volunteers, and who is petitioning shall submit information concerning the possible exposure to a communicable disease to the designated health care officer for the employer or public agency or, if there is no designated health care officer, the person designated by the employer or public agency to document and verify possible exposure to communicable diseases, for verification that there was substantial exposure. Each designated health care officer or person designated by an employer or public agency to document and verify possible exposure to communicable diseases shall establish guidelines based on current scientific information to determine substantial exposure.

3. A court shall promptly hear a petition filed pursuant to subsection 1 and determine whether there is probable cause to believe that a possible transfer of blood or other bodily fluids occurred between the person who filed the petition or on whose behalf the petition was filed and the person or decedent who possibly exposed him or her to a communicable disease. If the court determines that probable cause exists to believe that a possible transfer of blood or other bodily fluids occurred and, that a positive result from the test for the presence of a communicable disease would require the petitioner to seek medical intervention, the court shall:

(a) Order the person who possibly exposed the petitioner, or the person on whose behalf the petition was filed, to a communicable disease to submit two appropriate specimens to a local hospital or medical laboratory for testing for exposure to a communicable disease; or

(b) Order that two appropriate specimens be taken from the decedent who possibly exposed the petitioner, or the person on whose behalf the petition was filed, to a communicable disease and be submitted to a local hospital or medical laboratory for testing for exposure to the communicable disease.

The local hospital or medical laboratory shall perform the test in accordance with generally accepted medical practices and shall disclose the results of the test in the manner set forth in NRS 629.069.

4. If a judge or a justice of the peace enters an order pursuant to this section, the judge or justice of the peace may authorize the designated health care officer or the person designated by the employer or public agency to document and verify possible exposure to a communicable disease to sign the name of the judge or justice of the peace on a duplicate order. Such a duplicate order shall be deemed to be an order of the court. As soon as practicable after the duplicate order is signed, the duplicate order must be returned to the judge or justice of the peace who authorized the signing of it and must indicate on its face the judge or justice of the peace to whom it is to be returned. The judge or justice of the peace, upon receiving the returned order, shall endorse the order with his or her name and enter the date on which the order was returned. Any failure of the judge or justice of the peace to make such an endorsement and entry does not in and of itself invalidate the order.

5. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 629.069, all records submitted to the court in connection with a petition filed pursuant to this section and any proceedings concerning the petition are confidential and the judge or justice of the peace shall order the records and any record of the proceedings to be sealed and to be opened for inspection only upon an order of the court for good cause shown.

6. A court may establish rules to allow a judge or justice of the peace to conduct a hearing or issue an order pursuant to this section by electronic or telephonic means.

7. The employer of a person or the public agency for which the person volunteers, who files a petition or on whose behalf a petition is filed pursuant to this section or the insurer of the employer or public agency, shall pay the cost of performing the test pursuant to subsection 3.

8. As used in this section:

(a) “Agency of criminal justice” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 179A.030.

(b) “Emergency medical attendant” means a person licensed as an attendant or certified as an emergency medical technician, advanced emergency medical technician or paramedic pursuant to chapter 450B of NRS.

(Added to NRS by 1999, 1122; A 2005, 328; 2007, 88; 2013, 595, 936; 2019, 4167)