Rep. Michael Guest, U.S. Representative for Mississippi's 3rd District | Congressman Michael Guest Official U.S. House Headshot
Rep. Michael Guest, U.S. Representative for Mississippi's 3rd District | Congressman Michael Guest Official U.S. House Headshot
WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressmen Michael Guest (MS-03) and Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05) and U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) have introduced the Strengthening the Medical Examiner and Coroner System Act, aimed at addressing the shortage of medical examiners in the United States.
Congressman Guest expressed his enthusiasm for the legislation, stating, "I am proud to join my colleagues in leading this important legislation that could help grow the medical examiner and forensic pathology workforce in Mississippi and across the country.”
Highlighting the critical role of medical examiners, Congressman Cleaver emphasized, “Medical Examiners play a pivotal role in both public health and safety nationwide, but far too many communities are facing a dangerous shortfall of experienced examiners, with the United States needing to roughly double the number of board-certified forensic pathologists to meet the nation’s current needs.”
Sen. Cornyn echoed the urgency of the situation, stating, “The current shortage of medical examiners puts public safety and public health at risk.” He emphasized the need to increase the number of forensic medical service providers to meet the needs of communities across the country.
Similarly, Sen. Murphy underscored the risks posed by the shortage of forensic pathologists, saying, “The shortage of forensic pathologists poses a serious risk to our public health system. Across the country, autopsies are often delayed for months on end, preventing families from gaining important closure and hurting our ability to fight future health crises.”
The bill aims to incentivize qualified medical graduates to enter the field of forensic pathology, provide support to medical schools and providers, and encourage individuals to pursue medicolegal death investigation. It also includes provisions to fund forensic medicine service providers and toxicology laboratories, as well as expand pathways for the training and certification of medicolegal death investigators.
The shortage of medical examiners has been recognized as a significant challenge for America’s public health system, leading to delays in autopsies and death certification. The legislation introduced by Guest, Cleaver, Cornyn, and Murphy seeks to address these issues and strengthen the medical examiner and coroner system in the country.
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