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HI HB61
Bill
Status
Introduced
1/16/2025
Primary Sponsor
Kanani Souza
Click for details
AI Summary
- Requires the mayor of each Hawaii county to appoint a medical examiner, subject to confirmation by the county or city council, to serve as the county coroner
- Removes the current provision allowing police chiefs to serve as ex officio coroners in counties without medical examiners (Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai counties)
- Medical examiners must be licensed physicians under Hawaii law and certified as anatomic or forensic pathologists by the American Board of Pathology
- Addresses concerns raised by the 2023 Maui wildfires, where questions about police conduct during evacuations created potential conflicts of interest with the police chief overseeing death investigations
- Appropriates unspecified amounts from general revenues for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to establish medical examiner positions in Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai counties, effective July 1, 2025
Legislative Description
Relating To Coroners.
Appropriations ($)
Last Action
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
12/8/2025
Committee Referrals
Health1/21/2025
Full Bill Text
No bill text available