{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases/guest-cleaver-cornyn-murphy-introduce-bill-address-shortage-medical-examiners", "Guest, Cleaver, Cornyn, Murphy Introduce Bill to Address Shortage of Medical Examiners", "2024-04-18", "2024", "2024-04", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Michael Guest", "G000591", "guest.house.gov", "guest", "https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013U.S. Congressmen Michael Guest (MS-03) and Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05) and U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) today introduced theirStrengthening the Medical Examiner and Coroner System Act, which would help increase the number of board-certified forensic pathologists nationwide by encouraging qualified medical graduates to enter the field and providing support to accredited medical schools and providers in their recruitment efforts:\n\n\u201cI am proud to join my colleagues in leading this important legislation that could help grow the medical examiner and forensic pathology workforce in Mississippi and across the country,\u201d said Congressman Guest. \u201cI look forward to continuing to work with Representative Cleaver, who is my fellow co-chair of the House Forensic Science Caucus, and Senators Cornyn and Murphy on this critical initiative.\u201d\n\n\u201cMedical Examiners play a pivotal role in both public health and safety nationwide, but far too many communities are facing a dangerous shortfall of experienced examiners, with the United States needing to roughly double the number of board-certified forensic pathologists to meet the nation\u2019s current needs,\u201d said Congressman Cleaver. \u201cTo ensure local law enforcement and public health officials have the information they need in a timely manner, it is imperative that Congress strengthen the pipeline of quality pathologists. I\u2019m proud to join Senators Cornyn and Murphy, along with Rep. Guest, to introduce bipartisan legislation that will address this emergency.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe current shortage of medical examiners puts public safety and public health at risk,\u201d said Sen. Cornyn. \u201cThe U.S. must increase the current amount of forensic medical service providers to meet the needs of communities across the country, and this legislation would help medical providers recruit and train qualified individuals to enter the critically important field of forensic pathology.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe shortage of forensic pathologists poses a serious risk to our public health system. Across the country, autopsies are often delayed for months on end, preventing families from gaining important closure and hurting our ability to fight future health crises,\u201d said Sen. Murphy. \u201cOur bill tackles this problem head-on by providing funding, training, and support to attract qualified medical graduates to forensic pathology so that we have enough Board-Certified Forensic Pathologists to meet national demand.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nMedical examiners and coroners are a crucial part of America\u2019s public health system and help identify causes of death, monitor evolving health challenges, and save lives. Staff shortages can delay autopsies and death certification for months, preventing families from gaining closure and hamstringing the medical community\u2019s ability to fight the opioid epidemic and other health crises.\n\nCurrently, there are only about 800 full-time practicing forensic pathologists in the country, but the U.S. needs 1,500-1,800 to provide full national coverage. However, recruiting and retaining forensic pathologists is challenging because of the training required and the burdensome workload due to the ongoing shortage. The Strengthening the Medical Examiner and Coroner System Act would:\n\nIncentivize qualified medical graduates to enter the practice of forensic pathology by funding forensic pathology fellowships across the country;\n\nProvide support to accredited medical schools and forensic medicine service providers that operate forensic pathology fellowship programs;\n\nEncourage qualified individuals to enter the field of medicolegal death investigation;\n\nFund forensic medicine service providers and toxicology laboratories who support forensic medicine service providers;\n\nAnd expand pathways to train, educate, and certify medicolegal death investigators.\n\nCongressman Michael Guest represents Mississippi's Third Congressional District. Currently serving his third term, Congressman Guest serves as the Chairman of the Committee on Ethics. He is also a member of the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Homeland Security.", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases/guest-cleaver-cornyn-murphy-introduce-bill-address-shortage-medical-examiners"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9578610770404339, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}