I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8069 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to encourage qualified individuals 

to enter the forensic pathology workforce, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 18, 2024 

Mr. GUEST (for himself and Mr. CLEAVER) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 

addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to encourage qualified individuals to enter the forensic pathology workforce, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening the 

5 Medical Examiner and Coroner System Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FORENSIC MEDICAL NEEDS. 

2 Part E of title VII of the Public Health Service Act 

3 (42 U.S.C. 294n et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘Subpart 4—Forensic Pathology Workforce 

6 ‘‘SEC. 779. GRANTS TO ADDRESS THE FORENSIC MEDICINE 

7 SERVICE PROVIDER SHORTAGE. 

8 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) FORENSIC MEDICINE SERVICE PRO10 VIDER.—The term ‘forensic medicine service pro11 vider’ has the meaning given the term in section 6 

12 of Billy’s Law (34 U.S.C. 40506 note; Public Law 

13 117–327). 

14 ‘‘(2) MEDICOLEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATOR.— 

15 The term ‘medicolegal death investigator’ means an 

16 individual who performs formal inquiry into the cir17 cumstances surrounding the death of a human being 

18 to assist in the determination of the cause and man19 ner of death. 

20 ‘‘(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

21 the Secretary, acting through the Collaborating Of22 fice of Medical Examiners and Coroners of the Cen23 ters for Disease Control and Prevention. 

24 ‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 

25 ‘‘(1) to encourage and incentivize qualified med26 ical school graduates to enter the practice of forensic 


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1 pathology by supporting forensic pathology fellow2 ships; 

3 ‘‘(2) to encourage and incentivize qualified indi4 viduals to enter the field of medicolegal death inves5 tigation to conduct death investigations in support 

6 of forensic medicine service providers; and 

7 ‘‘(3) to support qualified individuals who enter 

8 the field of forensic toxicology through employment 

9 in forensic toxicology laboratories in the acquisition 

10 of skills in pharmacology, advanced and emerging 

11 toxicological methods, and instrumentation needed to 

12 assist with the interpretation of toxicological find13 ings. 

14 ‘‘(c) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall award grants to 

15 eligible entities described in subsection (d) to assist such 

16 entities in addressing their shortages by offering the train17 ing and fellowships described in subsection (e)(1). 

18 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

19 under this section, an entity shall be— 

20 ‘‘(1) a graduate medical education program— 

21 ‘‘(A) accredited by the Accreditation Coun22 cil for Graduate Medical Education that offers 

23 a forensic pathology fellowship that is so ac24 credited; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) that is seeking such accreditation for 

2 a forensic pathology fellowship; 

3 ‘‘(2) a publicly funded medical examiner or cor4 oner office that is accredited or seeking accredita5 tion; or 

6 ‘‘(3) a publicly funded forensic toxicology lab7 oratory that supports medical examiner and coroner 

8 offices and that is accredited or seeking accredita9 tion. 

10 ‘‘(e) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that re12 ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant 

13 funds— 

14 ‘‘(A) to provide payment to individuals se15 lected by such entity for a forensic pathology 

16 fellowship for salary, fringe benefits, related 

17 supply expenses, and other educational expenses 

18 of such individuals; 

19 ‘‘(B) provide training for medicolegal death 

20 investigators, including paying for the costs of 

21 continuing education for medicolegal death in22 vestigators for purposes of such individuals— 

23 ‘‘(i) becoming certified by the Amer24 ican Board of Medicolegal Death InvestigaVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:42 Apr 30, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8069.IH H8069

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1 tion (or another accredited certifying orga2 nization); and 

3 ‘‘(ii) maintaining such certification; or 

4 ‘‘(C) to assist eligible entities— 

5 ‘‘(i) in providing the education and 

6 training to individuals employed by such 

7 entities necessary— 

8 ‘‘(I) to gain initial competency, 

9 additional training, and continuing 

10 education in pharmacology and ad11 vanced and emerging toxicological 

12 methods and instrumentation needed 

13 to assist with the interpretation of 

14 toxicological findings; 

15 ‘‘(II) to become certified by the 

16 American Board of Forensic Toxi17 cology, the American Association of 

18 Clinical Chemistry, or another accred19 ited certifying organization; or 

20 ‘‘(III) to maintain such certifi21 cation or to obtain recertification by 

22 such a certifying organization; or 

23 ‘‘(ii) in obtaining accreditation by the 

24 Accreditation Council for Graduate MedVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:42 Apr 30, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8069.IH H8069

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1 ical Education for forensic pathology fel2 lowships. 

3 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—An eligible enti4 ty that receives a grant under this section may use 

5 not more than 15 percent of the total amount of the 

6 grant for administrative expenses, including grant 

7 management services. 

8 ‘‘(f) RECIPIENT REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible to 

9 receive a fellowship funded by a grant under this section, 

10 an individual shall— 

11 ‘‘(1)(A) be enrolled in, or shall have completed, 

12 an anatomical pathology or anatomical and clinical 

13 pathology residency program accredited by the Ac14 creditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(B) not be, and shall never have been, in de17 fault on any public or private student loan; 

18 ‘‘(2)(A) be an individual who has completed a 

19 program of baccalaureate or postbaccalaureate edu20 cation and earned a degree, or completed a con21 centration, in forensic science, natural science, an22 thropology, nursing, or other medical and forensic23 related fields; and 

24 ‘‘(B) be a coroner or medicolegal death investi25 gator working full-time at, or in a contractual relaVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:42 Apr 30, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8069.IH H8069

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1 tionship with, a publicly funded medical examiner or 

2 coroner office who— 

3 ‘‘(i) has not achieved, and is seeking, cer4 tification by an accredited certification organi5 zation described in subsection (e)(1)(B)(i); or 

6 ‘‘(ii) who is seeking continuing education 

7 for purposes of maintaining such certification; 

8 ‘‘(3)(A) have completed a program of bacca9 laureate or postbaccalaureate education and earned 

10 a degree, or completed a concentration, in forensic 

11 science or physical or natural sciences, with a chem12 istry, toxicology, or other closely related scientific or 

13 forensic component; and 

14 ‘‘(B) be employed by the eligible entity as a tox15 icologist or pharmacologist. 

16 ‘‘(g) TAX WAIVER.—The payment amounts to an in17 dividual under this section or any other benefit received 

18 by the individual from the grant recipient shall not be tax19 able to the individual. 

20 ‘‘(h) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—In awarding 

21 grants under this section, the Secretary shall take into 

22 consideration— 

23 ‘‘(1) the geographic distribution of grant fund24 ing among the States; 


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1 ‘‘(2) the relative proportion of grant funding 

2 between rural and urban areas; and 

3 ‘‘(3) the unique needs of rural communities, in4 cluding— 

5 ‘‘(A) communities with an incidence of in6 dividuals with opioid use disorder that is above 

7 the national average; and 

8 ‘‘(B) communities with a shortage of fo9 rensic medicine service providers. 

10 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

12 appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this sec13 tion $13,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

14 through 2029. 

15 ‘‘(2) ALLOCATIONS.—Of the amounts made 

16 available each fiscal year under paragraph (1), the 

17 Secretary shall allocate— 

18 ‘‘(A) subject to paragraph (3), not less 

19 than $7,000,000 for grants to eligible entities 

20 carrying out the purpose described in sub21 section (e)(1)(A); 

22 ‘‘(B) not less than $3,000,000 for grants 

23 to eligible entities carrying out the purpose de24 scribed in subsection (e)(1)(B); and 


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1 ‘‘(C) not less than $3,000,000 for grants 

2 to eligible entities carrying out the purpose de3 scribed in subsection (e)(1)(C). 

4 ‘‘(3) FELLOWSHIP MINIMUM.—In allocating 

5 amounts for grants to eligible entities carrying out 

6 the purpose described in subsection (e)(1)(A), the 

7 Secretary shall award sufficient grant funding to 

8 such entities to ensure that not fewer than 40 foren9 sic pathology fellowships are funded.’’. 

Æ 


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