HB1617

House Bill 1617 amends Arkansas law regarding postmortem examinations conducted by the State Medical Examiner. It establishes a list of specific circumstances under which a county coroner should submit a decedent to the State Crime Laboratory for an examination, including deaths involving apparent criminal violence, sudden unexpected deaths of children, police-involved deaths, deaths in custody, and specific maternal mortality cases. The bill also mandates that the State Crime Laboratory provide consultation to coroners to help determine if existing medical or investigative information is sufficient to certify the cause and manner of death without a full examination. Furthermore, it creates a requirement for the State Crime Laboratory to conduct postmortem examinations in cases of apparent drug, alcohol, or poison toxicity, provided there is not a significant hospital record available for review. The legislation aligns state procedures with national standards for death investigations.