IN HB1031

Law enforcement agencies now have explicit authority to secure, control, and process death scenes and conduct criminal investigations, while coroners retain exclusive custody of the body and non-evidence property.

Coroner training requirements increase to a minimum of 40 hours with mandatory in-person classroom instruction and supervised externship; annual continuing education remains at 8 hours minimum.

Coroners and deputy coroners who conduct death investigations or sign death certificates without completing required training commit a Class B misdemeanor ("conducting an improper investigation").

Hospital blood retention protocols are narrowed to apply only to patients who are critically injured or mortally wounded from suspicious, violent, accidental, or overdose-related injuries and who are admitted as inpatients.

Two sections regarding witness fees and testimony procedures at coroner investigations are repealed, effective July 1, 2026.