Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
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3 SENATE BILL 1853 By: McIntosh
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to medicolegal investigations;
7 amending 63 O.S. 2021, Section 941, as amended by
8 Section 2, Chapter 251, O.S.L. 2024 (63 O.S. Supp.
8 2025, Section 941), which relates to investigation by
9 medical examiner; requiring investigation to include
9 certain components; amending 63 O.S. 2021, Section
10 942, which relates to report of findings; requiring
10 certain information to be documented on report under
11 specified conditions; and providing an effective
11 date.
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14 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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15 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 63 O.S. 2021, Section 941, as
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16 amended by Section 2, Chapter 251, O.S.L. 2024 (63 O.S. Supp. 2025,
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17 Section 941), is amended to read as follows:
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18 Section 941. A. Upon receipt of notice of death of any person
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19 which under Section 931 et seq. of this title is subject to
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20 investigation, a representative death investigator from the Office
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21 of the Chief Medical Examiner shall immediately initiate an
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22 investigation and shall document in detail, by the end of his or her
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23 assigned shift, all the known and available facts of the death scene
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24 in the electronic database of the Chief Medical Examiner. Decedent
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Req. No. 2482 Page 1
1 specimens, evidence, and photographs shall be sent to the Office of
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2 the Chief Medical Examiner. The investigating official of the
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3 Office of the Chief Medical Examiner may take charge of any object
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4 or writing found on or near the body which is deemed necessary for
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5 the purpose of establishing the cause and/or manner of death.
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6 B. Upon conclusion of the investigation and determination that
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7 such objects or writings are no longer needed as evidence, the
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8 medical examiner or the medical examiner's designee may deliver them
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9 to the district attorney, law enforcement agency, or family for
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10 disposition.
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11 C. The investigating medical examiner or the medical examiner's
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12 designee shall have access at all times to any and all medical and
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13 dental records and history of the deceased including, but not
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14 limited to, radiographs and medical records in the course of his or
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15 her official investigation to determine the cause and manner of
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16 death. Such records may not be released to any other person by the
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17 medical examiner, and the custodians of such records shall incur no
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18 liability by reason of the release of such records to the medical
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19 examiner.
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20 D. 1. The body of the deceased shall be turned over to the
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21 funeral director designated by the person responsible for burial
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22 within twenty-four (24) hours of receipt of the decedent unless a
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23 longer period is necessary to complete the required investigation.
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Req. No. 2482 Page 2
1 2. The investigation shall be concluded and the case completed
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2 within sixty (60) calendar days after the Office of the Chief
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3 Medical Examiner assumes custody of the body, unless circumstances
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4 exist that prevent adherence to this timeline.
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5 E. Each investigation shall include:
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6 1. A review of the medication, immunization, and medical
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7 records of the deceased, as available through state health databases
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8 or other sources;
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9 2. An autopsy, if deemed necessary by the medical examiner to
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10 determine the cause of death; and
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11 3. Microscopic and toxicology studies, if deemed necessary by
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12 the medical examiner to determine the cause of death.
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13 SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 63 O.S. 2021, Section 942, is
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14 amended to read as follows:
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15 Section 942. A. 1. Upon completion of an investigation, the
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16 medical examiner shall reduce his or her findings to writing upon
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17 the form supplied to the medical examiner which shall be promptly
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18 sent to the Chief Medical Examiner by mail.
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19 2. If the medical examiner finds that the deceased had illicit,
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20 prescription or nonprescription drugs in his or her system at the
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21 time of death, the medical examiner shall document in his or her
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22 findings if the death was:
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23 a. a natural or accidental death with drug involvement,
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24 b. a homicide by drugs,
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Req. No. 2482 Page 3
1 c. a suicide by drug overdose, or
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2 d. a death with drug involvement, but the manner of death
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3 could not be determined.
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4 3. A fatality shall not be considered a drug-related death
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5 unless the medical examiner determines that the drug or drugs
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6 present in the deceased materially contributed to the death.
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7 B. Copies of reports shall be furnished by the Chief Medical
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8 Examiner to investigating agencies having official interest therein.
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9 Copies of reports shall also be furnished to the spouse of the
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10 deceased or any person within one degree of consanguinity of the
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11 deceased upon request and within five (5) business days of the
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12 request once the cause and manner of death have been determined and
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13 the death certificate has been issued.
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14 C. 1. The medical examiner shall document in the investigative
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15 report any new medications, immunizations, or emergency
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16 countermeasures administered to the deceased within ninety (90) days
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17 before death.
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18 2. If the medical examiner reasonably believes that suicide may
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19 have caused the death, the medical examiner shall document on the
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20 report that the death was a suicide, a probable suicide, or a
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21 possible suicide, based on the available evidence.
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22 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.
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24 60-2-2482 DC 1/15/2026 12:11:17 AM
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Req. No. 2482 Page 4Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.