Senate Bill 2634 Summary

• Revises definitions under the Mississippi Medical Examiner Act to clarify that "medical examiner" refers to a system composed of the State Medical Examiner, county medical examiners, and county medical examiner investigators, not a title alone.

• Adds new definitions including "autopsy" (postmortem examination), "mass-fatality incident" (situation with more bodies than local resources can manage), and "postmortem examination" (which may use least to most invasive methods based on pathologist judgment).

• Requires the State Medical Examiner to be licensed to practice medicine in Mississippi and certified in forensic pathology by the American Board of Pathology, and permits the State Medical Examiner to be designated as Chief Medical Examiner.

• Changes qualifications for deputy chief state medical examiners to require licensure in Mississippi and either board certification in forensic pathology by the American Board of Pathology or eligibility to sit for the board examination.

• Establishes the State Medical Examiner Advisory Council composed of representatives from various state entities to serve as liaison between the State Medical Examiner and related organizations.