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 subse-
quently 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 quali-
fied individuals to enter the forensic pathology workforce, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening the 
Medical Examiner and Coroner System Act of 2024’’. 
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SEC. 2. FORENSIC MEDICAL NEEDS. 
Part E of title VII of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 294n et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘Subpart 4—Forensic Pathology Workforce 
‘‘SEC. 779. GRANTS TO ADDRESS THE FORENSIC MEDICINE 
SERVICE PROVIDER SHORTAGE. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) 
FORENSIC
MEDICINE
SERVICE
PRO-
VIDER.—The term ‘forensic medicine service pro-
vider’ has the meaning given the term in section 6 
of Billy’s Law (34 U.S.C. 40506 note; Public Law 
117–327). 
‘‘(2) MEDICOLEGAL
DEATH
INVESTIGATOR.— 
The term ‘medicolegal death investigator’ means an 
individual who performs formal inquiry into the cir-
cumstances surrounding the death of a human being 
to assist in the determination of the cause and man-
ner of death. 
‘‘(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 
the Secretary, acting through the Collaborating Of-
fice of Medical Examiners and Coroners of the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention. 
‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 
‘‘(1) to encourage and incentivize qualified med-
ical school graduates to enter the practice of forensic 
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pathology by supporting forensic pathology fellow-
ships; 
‘‘(2) to encourage and incentivize qualified indi-
viduals to enter the field of medicolegal death inves-
tigation to conduct death investigations in support 
of forensic medicine service providers; and 
‘‘(3) to support qualified individuals who enter 
the field of forensic toxicology through employment 
in forensic toxicology laboratories in the acquisition 
of skills in pharmacology, advanced and emerging 
toxicological methods, and instrumentation needed to 
assist with the interpretation of toxicological find-
ings. 
‘‘(c) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall award grants to 
eligible entities described in subsection (d) to assist such 
entities in addressing their shortages by offering the train-
ing and fellowships described in subsection (e)(1). 
‘‘(d) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this section, an entity shall be— 
‘‘(1) a graduate medical education program— 
‘‘(A) accredited by the Accreditation Coun-
cil for Graduate Medical Education that offers 
a forensic pathology fellowship that is so ac-
credited; or 
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‘‘(B) that is seeking such accreditation for 
a forensic pathology fellowship; 
‘‘(2) a publicly funded medical examiner or cor-
oner office that is accredited or seeking accredita-
tion; or 
‘‘(3) a publicly funded forensic toxicology lab-
oratory that supports medical examiner and coroner 
offices and that is accredited or seeking accredita-
tion. 
‘‘(e) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that re-
ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant 
funds— 
‘‘(A) to provide payment to individuals se-
lected by such entity for a forensic pathology 
fellowship for salary, fringe benefits, related 
supply expenses, and other educational expenses 
of such individuals; 
‘‘(B) provide training for medicolegal death 
investigators, including paying for the costs of 
continuing education for medicolegal death in-
vestigators for purposes of such individuals— 
‘‘(i) becoming certified by the Amer-
ican Board of Medicolegal Death Investiga-
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tion (or another accredited certifying orga-
nization); and 
‘‘(ii) maintaining such certification; or 
‘‘(C) to assist eligible entities— 
‘‘(i) in providing the education and 
training to individuals employed by such 
entities necessary— 
‘‘(I) to gain initial competency, 
additional training, and continuing 
education in pharmacology and ad-
vanced and emerging toxicological 
methods and instrumentation needed 
to assist with the interpretation of 
toxicological findings; 
‘‘(II) to become certified by the 
American Board of Forensic Toxi-
cology, the American Association of 
Clinical Chemistry, or another accred-
ited certifying organization; or 
‘‘(III) to maintain such certifi-
cation or to obtain recertification by 
such a certifying organization; or 
‘‘(ii) in obtaining accreditation by the 
Accreditation Council for Graduate Med-
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ical Education for forensic pathology fel-
lowships. 
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—An eligible enti-
ty that receives a grant under this section may use 
not more than 15 percent of the total amount of the 
grant for administrative expenses, including grant 
management services. 
‘‘(f) RECIPIENT REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible to 
receive a fellowship funded by a grant under this section, 
an individual shall— 
‘‘(1)(A) be enrolled in, or shall have completed, 
an anatomical pathology or anatomical and clinical 
pathology residency program accredited by the Ac-
creditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; 
and 
‘‘(B) not be, and shall never have been, in de-
fault on any public or private student loan; 
‘‘(2)(A) be an individual who has completed a 
program of baccalaureate or postbaccalaureate edu-
cation and earned a degree, or completed a con-
centration, in forensic science, natural science, an-
thropology, nursing, or other medical and forensic- 
related fields; and 
‘‘(B) be a coroner or medicolegal death investi-
gator working full-time at, or in a contractual rela-
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tionship with, a publicly funded medical examiner or 
coroner office who— 
‘‘(i) has not achieved, and is seeking, cer-
tification by an accredited certification organi-
zation described in subsection (e)(1)(B)(i); or 
‘‘(ii) who is seeking continuing education 
for purposes of maintaining such certification; 
‘‘(3)(A) have completed a program of bacca-
laureate or postbaccalaureate education and earned 
a degree, or completed a concentration, in forensic 
science or physical or natural sciences, with a chem-
istry, toxicology, or other closely related scientific or 
forensic component; and 
‘‘(B) be employed by the eligible entity as a tox-
icologist or pharmacologist. 
‘‘(g) TAX WAIVER.—The payment amounts to an in-
dividual under this section or any other benefit received 
by the individual from the grant recipient shall not be tax-
able to the individual. 
‘‘(h) GEOGRAPHIC
DISTRIBUTION.—In awarding 
grants under this section, the Secretary shall take into 
consideration— 
‘‘(1) the geographic distribution of grant fund-
ing among the States; 
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‘‘(2) the relative proportion of grant funding 
between rural and urban areas; and 
‘‘(3) the unique needs of rural communities, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(A) communities with an incidence of in-
dividuals with opioid use disorder that is above 
the national average; and 
‘‘(B) communities with a shortage of fo-
rensic medicine service providers. 
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this sec-
tion $13,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 
through 2029. 
‘‘(2) ALLOCATIONS.—Of the amounts made 
available each fiscal year under paragraph (1), the 
Secretary shall allocate— 
‘‘(A) subject to paragraph (3), not less 
than $7,000,000 for grants to eligible entities 
carrying out the purpose described in sub-
section (e)(1)(A); 
‘‘(B) not less than $3,000,000 for grants 
to eligible entities carrying out the purpose de-
scribed in subsection (e)(1)(B); and 
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‘‘(C) not less than $3,000,000 for grants 
to eligible entities carrying out the purpose de-
scribed in subsection (e)(1)(C). 
‘‘(3) FELLOWSHIP
MINIMUM.—In allocating 
amounts for grants to eligible entities carrying out 
the purpose described in subsection (e)(1)(A), the 
Secretary shall award sufficient grant funding to 
such entities to ensure that not fewer than 40 foren-
sic pathology fellowships are funded.’’. 
Æ 
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