2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
LRB-2582/1
SWB:cdc&amn
2023 ASSEMBLY BILL 187
April 20, 2023 - Introduced by JOINT LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Referred to Committee
on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care.
1 AN ACT to create 69.02 (3) of the statutes; relating to: requiring the Department
2 of Health Services to establish and encourage best practices for coroners and
3 medical examiners.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill is explained in the NOTES provided by the Joint Legislative Council in
the bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
JOINT LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL PREFATORY NOTE: This bill was prepared for the Joint
Legislative Council Study Committee on Uniform Death Reporting Standards.
Current law specifies certain types of deaths that require an investigation by a
coroner or a medical examiner, who then completes the medical certification. The medical
certification is the portion of a death record that provides the cause of death, manner of
death, injury-related data, and any other medically-related data. Death records are
registered with the Office of Vital Records, which is supervised by the state registrar in
the Department of Health Services (DHS).
The bill requires DHS to establish best practices for coroners and medical
examiners for completing medical certifications and investigations of reportable deaths,
in consultation with organizations of coroners, medical examiners, and forensic
pathologists, as well as any other organization that DHS determines to be appropriate.
The bill also requires DHS to make available and encourage use of the established best
practices by any office of a coroner or medical examiner, and to periodically review and
update the best practices, if necessary.
 2023 - 2024 Legislature -2- LRB-2582/1
SWB:cdc&amn
ASSEMBLY BILL 187 SECTION 1
1 SECTION 1. 69.02 (3) of the statutes is created to read:
2 69.02 (3) In consultation with organizations of coroners, medical examiners,
3 and forensic pathologists, and any other organization determined to be appropriate
4 by the department, the department shall establish best practices for coroners and
5 medical examiners for the completion of medical certifications under s. 69.18 (2) and
6 investigations of death under s. 979.01. The department shall encourage use by and
7 make available to any office of a coroner or medical examiner the best practices
8 established under this subsection. The department shall periodically review and, if
9 determined necessary by the department, update the best practices established
10 under this subsection.
11 (END)