HB 13-1256 Summary: Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy Reporting Requirement Act of 2013

• Creates "The Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy Reporting Requirement Act of 2013" to establish a SUDEP awareness program where the state's chief medical officer educates medical examiners and coroners about SUDEP.

• Requires all postmortem examinations to include an inquiry determining whether death resulted from seizure or epilepsy, with the chief medical officer establishing a standard protocol for medicolegal investigations involving seizure disorders.

• Mandates medical examiners or coroners whose autopsy findings are consistent with known or suspected SUDEP must: indicate SUDEP as cause of death on death certificates, retain and publicly track seizure-related death data (with identifiable information redacted), and request next-of-kin consent to forward medical information to a SUDEP registry.

• Requires medical examiners and coroners to request authorization from surviving family members for brain donation to a brain bank for research purposes, with optimal donation within 24 hours of death and shipping costs paid by the brain bank.

• Takes effect August 7, 2013, unless subject to a referendum petition, in which case it requires voter approval at the November 2014 general election.