Medical Examiner Appointment Bill Advances

Legislation making the state Chief Medical Examiner a gubernatorial appointee unanimously passed a House Committee tonight.

The change is needed in light of numerous recent issues with the state Medical Examiner’s office, said House Speaker Chris Benge, author of House Bill 1965.

House and Senate leaders have expressed concerns for over a year regarding the management and operations of the office.

Additionally, recent allegations of sexual harassment charges inside the office led OSBI to open an investigation into the matter at the urging of Benge and Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee.

“The public must be able to have confidence in this office,” said Benge, R-Tulsa. “We believe having a medical examiner that reports directly to the governor instead of a bureaucratic board will improve accountability and allow for quick changes as needed in the future.”

The legislation keeps the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner independent from other agencies to avoid any conflicts of interest and to preserve the office’s autonomy. The CME would report directly to the governor and the Board of Medicolegal Investigations will be eliminated.

The governor would also appoint a newly created Chief Administrative Officer position, whose responsibilities will include handling the day-to-day management of the administrative functions of the agency.

The Chief Administrative Officer would be charged to adopt written professional qualification requirements for each staff position related to the investigation of deaths and to require background checks be performed for all prospective hires for the office. The professional qualifications are to apply to all forensic pathologists, chemists, investigators and the position of Chief Investigator.

The legislation would also prohibit all CME employees from receiving any type of compensation from any service or organization whose business pertains to organ, eye or tissue recovery.

The CME office would also be relocated to Edmond if the bill becomes law, where it will be in close proximity with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Forensic Science Institute. The examiner’s office would have their own state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment but would additionally be able to utilize the facilities and administrative functions currently offered by the OSBI and UCO.

Finally, the bill will require the CME to obtain approval by the Legislature before closing a satellite office.

The bill passed the House Appropriations and Budget Committee unanimously and will now move to the House for consideration.

Share |