HB544 Alabama 2025 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Alan BakerRepresentative

Republican

Session

2025 Regular Session

Title

Escambia County, powers, duties, appointment, and compensation of medical examiner further provided for

Summary

HB544 changes Escambia County's medical examiner system by making the examiner a state-contracted position with a new appointment process, term, funding, and expanded duties.

What This Bill Does

The bill sets how the Escambia County Medical Examiner is appointed and who approves the appointment, requiring selection from a list provided by the Escambia County Medical Society after review by the district attorney nominating committee and approval by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. It creates a six-year term for the county examiner, with interim replacements allowed if a vacancy occurs, and allows waiving the physician requirement for an interim appointment. It also adds assistant examiners, requires eight hours of death-investigation training per year, expands the categories of deaths to be investigated, outlines rules for issuing death certificates and arranging disposition, addresses autopsy authority and costs, establishes funding and records procedures, and repeals the prior compensation provision from Section 45-27-60.14. The changes take effect October 1, 2025.

Who It Affects

• Escambia County residents and families of decedents, because death-investigation procedures, death certificate issuance, disposition decisions, and potential autopsy costs may change under the new county medical examiner system.
• Local medical professionals and government entities in Escambia County (including the Escambia County Medical Society, county commissioners, district attorney, and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences) who participate in the nomination, appointment, funding, and oversight of the medical examiner program.

Key Provisions

• The Escambia County Medical Examiner becomes a contract employee of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences with liability coverage like state Merit System employees.
• Appointment is made by the senior state medical examiner in Region IV, with approval from the Director of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, from a list submitted by the Escambia County Medical Society after review by a nominating committee including county and local officials.
• The examiner serves a six-year term, beginning the first Monday after the second Tuesday in January; the first appointment after October 1, 2025 serves until January 20, 2029; vacancies trigger interim appointments handled by the Director with a 14-day deadline and a 90-day nomination window.
• The bill allows one or more assistant county medical examiners who are physicians and contract employees, subject to approvals by senior MOE and the director.
• The county examiner must complete eight hours of death-investigation training per year, with training provided by the state MOEs or approved by the senior MOE, and training credits count toward continuing medical education.
• The bill enumerates the death-investigation categories that require examiners to investigate and sets rules for issuing death certificates and authorizing disposition when no criminal act or suspicion exists.
• Autopsy authority is clarified: state examiners may perform or authorize autopsies in certain cases, and next of kin may request an autopsy if the county does not deem it advisable, with costs paid by the next of kin and funds deposited into the Forensic Services Trust Fund.
• Reports from death investigations must be maintained and forwarded to the Region IV Laboratory; certified copies are admissible as evidence in Escambia County courts.
• A Medical Examiner Fund is established to manage equipment and funding, with annual reviews by the senior state MOE and the county to ensure adequate support for investigations.
• Section 45-27-60.14 relating to compensation for the county medical examiner is repealed.
• The act becomes effective October 1, 2025.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Escambia County