HB71 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Chris EnglandRepresentative

Democrat

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Crimes and offenses; medical examiners, criminal penalties imposed for retention of deceased individual's organ without notice and consent

Summary

HB71 would require medical examiners to notify and obtain consent from the next of kin before retaining a deceased person's organ for testing beyond identification or cause of death, and would make violations a Class C felony, with an effective date of October 1, 2026.

What This Bill Does

HB71 amends Alabama law to require notification of the next of kin (through the appropriate law enforcement agency) whenever a medical examiner retains a deceased person's entire organ for testing beyond determining identity or the cause or manner of death. It also prohibits retaining an organ for research or other purposes not tied to that determination without the next of kin's approval. Violations would be Class C felonies. The act becomes effective October 1, 2026.

Who It Affects

• Medical examiners (including those with the Department of Forensic Sciences) who retain an organ beyond the minimum testing needs; they must notify and obtain consent from the next of kin or face criminal penalties.
• Next of kin or the deceased person's family; they gain a right to notice and to consent before any retention for additional testing or other purposes.

Key Provisions

• Notification: medical examiners must notify the next of kin through the appropriate law enforcement agency when retaining the entire organ for testing beyond identification or determining the cause/manner of death.
• Consent and restrictions: medical examiners may not retain the organ for research or other purposes not tied to identification or the death's cause/manner without notification to and approval by the appropriate next of kin; violations are Class C felonies and the act takes effect October 1, 2026.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 12, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Crimes & Offenses