H.R. 10739: Strengthening the Medical Examiner and Coroner System Act of 2026

This bill would create a federal grant program aimed at addressing shortages in the forensic pathology and death investigation workforce.

What the bill does

The bill adds a new program to the Public Health Service Act. Under this program, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, working through the CDC’s Collaborating Office of Medical Examiners and Coroners, would award grants to certain eligible organizations to help them recruit, train, and retain people in forensic medicine-related jobs.

Who could receive grants

Grants could go to:

• Graduate medical education programs that offer, or are seeking approval for, accredited forensic pathology fellowships;
• Publicly funded medical examiner or coroner offices that are accredited or working toward accreditation; and
• Publicly funded forensic toxicology labs that support medical examiner and coroner offices and are accredited or seeking accreditation.

How the money could be used

Grant money could be used to:

• Pay salaries, benefits, supplies, and other education-related costs for forensic pathology fellows;
• Cover training and continuing education for medicolegal death investigators, including costs tied to certification or maintaining certification; and
• Support education and training for forensic toxicologists, including training in pharmacology, advanced toxicology methods, lab equipment, and certification or recertification.

Up to 15% of a grant could be used for administrative expenses.

Who could receive fellowship or training support

Forensic pathology fellowship support would be limited to individuals who have completed, or are enrolled in, an accredited pathology residency and who have never defaulted on a student loan.

Support for coroner or medicolegal death investigator training would go to people with relevant education who work full-time for, or contract with, a publicly funded medical examiner or coroner office that is seeking certification or maintaining certification.

Forensic toxicology support would go to people with relevant science or forensic degrees who are employed as toxicologists or pharmacologists by an eligible entity.

Tax treatment

Payments or other benefits received through these grants would not count as taxable income for the individual receiving them.

Funding priorities

When awarding grants, the Secretary would be required to consider geographic balance across states, the split between rural and urban areas, and the needs of rural communities, especially places with higher-than-average opioid use disorder rates or shortages of forensic medicine personnel.

Funding level

The bill would authorize $13 million per year for fiscal years 2028 through 2032. Of that amount, at least $7 million would go to forensic pathology fellowships, at least $3 million to medicolegal death investigator training, and at least $3 million to forensic toxicology training. The bill also says funding for forensic pathology fellowships should be enough to support at least 40 fellowships.

Relevant Companies

None found