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Act No. 4
Public Acts of 2026
Approved by the Governor
March 17, 2026
Filed with the Secretary of State
March 17, 2026
EFFECTIVE DATE: March 17, 2026
STATE OF MICHIGAN
103RD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2026
Introduced by Reps. Mueller, Wozniak, Outman, Schmaltz, Rheingans, McKinney, Byrnes,
Andrews, Hoskins, Foreman, Longjohn, McFall, Glanville, Conlin, Neeley, Steckloff,
Tsernoglou, Morgan, Miller and VanderWall
ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 4078
AN ACT to amend 1953 PA 181, entitled “An act relative to investigations in certain instances of the causes
of death within this state due to violence, negligence or other act or omission of a criminal nature or to protect
public health; to provide for the taking of statements from injured persons under certain circumstances; to abolish
the office of coroner and to create the office of county medical examiner in certain counties; to prescribe the powers
and duties of county medical examiners; to prescribe p enalties for violations of the provisions of this act; and to
prescribe a referendum thereon, ” by amending sections 2 and 3 (MCL 52.202 and 52.203), as amended by
2012 PA 171.
The People of the State of Michigan enact:
Sec. 2. (1) A county medical examiner or deputy county medical examiner shall investigate the cause and
manner of death of an individual under each of the following circumstances:
(a) The individual dies by violence.
(b) The individual’s death is unexpected.
(c) The individual dies without medical attendance by a physician within the 1 year immediately preceding
the time of death, or the individual dies while under home hospice care without medical attendance by a physician
or a registered nurse within the 48 hours immediately preceding the time of death, unless the attending physician
or a physician acting as the authorized representative of the attending physici an, if any, is able to determine
accurately the cause of death.
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(d) The individual dies as the result of an abortion, whether self-induced or otherwise.
(2) If a prisoner in a county or city jail dies while imprisoned, the county medical examiner or deputy county
medical examiner, upon being notified of the death of the prisoner, shall examine the body of the deceased
prisoner.
(3) In conducting an investigation under subsection (1) or (2), a county medical examiner or deputy county
medical examiner may request the circuit court to issue a subpoena to produce medical records, books, papers,
documents, or other items related to the death being investigated. The circuit court may punish a failure to obey
a subpoena issued under this section as contempt of court.
(4) Medical records, books, papers, documents, or other items that a county medical examiner or deputy county
medical examiner obtains in conducting an investigation under this act, whether in response to a subpoena or
otherwise, are exempt from disclosure under the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246.
(5) As used in this act:
(a) “Home hospice care” means a program of planned and continuous hospice care provided by a hospice or a
hospice residence that consists of a coordinated set of services rendered to an individual at the individual’s home
on a continuous basis for a disease or condition with a terminal prognosis.
(b) “Physician” means an individual licensed as a physician under part 170 or part 175 of the public health
code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.17001 to 333.17097 and 333.17501 to 333.17556.
(c) “Registered nurse” means an individual licensed as a registered professional nurse under part 172 of the
public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.17201 to 333.17242.
Sec. 3. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a physician, an individual in charge of any hospital or
institution, or any other individual who has first knowledge of any of the following shall immediately notify the
county medical examiner or deputy county medical examiner of that fact:
(a) An individual who died suddenly, unexpectedly, accidentally, violently, or as the result of any suspicious
circumstances.
(b) An individual who died without medical attendance within the 48 hours immediately preceding the time of
death unless the attending physician or a physician acting as the authorized representative of the attending
physician, if any, is able to determine accurately the cause of death.
(c) An individual who died as the result of what is commonly known as an abortion, whether self -induced or
otherwise.
(2) If the physician, individual in charge of any hospital or institution, or other individual who has first
knowledge of the death of an individual as described under subsection (1) has knowledge that there were 2 or
more individuals involved in the same i ncident who were approximately the same age, sex, height, weight, hair
color, eye color, and race, then he or she shall make the county medical examiner or deputy county medical
examiner aware of that fact and whether or not any of those individuals survi ved that incident when notifying
the county medical examiner or deputy county medical examiner of the death as required under subsection (1). If
any of those individuals survived, the county medical examiner or deputy county medical examiner must also be
informed which hospital or institution those individuals were taken to and the hospital or institution must also
be made aware that the incident involved 2 or more individuals with similar attributes.
(3) If a physician, an individual in charge of any hospital or institution, or other individual with knowledge of
the death of an individual as described under subsection (1) has knowledge that the death has already been
reported to the county medical examiner or deputy county medical examiner under subsection (1), the physician,
individual in charge of any hospital or institution, or other individual is not required to notify the county medical
examiner or deputy county medical examiner of the death under subsection (1).
(4) If an elderly and vulnerable adult death review team is established under section 1c, a county medical
examiner or deputy county medical examiner who receives notice of a death of an elderly or vulnerable adult who
died unexpectedly or under suspicious circumstances may refer the case to the elderly and vulnerable adult death
review team. Upon receipt of a referral under this subsection, the elderly and vulnerable adult death review team
shall conduct a review of this matter. Information obtained under this subsection by an elderly and vulnerable
adult death review team established under section 1c is confidential and may be disclosed by the elderly and
vulnerable adult death review team only to the county medical examiner, the county prosecutor’s office, local law
enforcement, or another elder death review team, as appropriate. The information obtained under this subsection
by an elderly and vulnerable adult death review team established under section 1c is exempt from disclosure
under the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246.
Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect unless House Bill No. 4077 of the
103rd Legislature is enacted into law.
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This act is ordered to take immediate effect.
Clerk of the House of Representatives
Secretary of the Senate
Approved___________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Governor