# 119-hr-10739: Strengthening the Medical Examiner and Coroner System Act of 2026

119-hr-10739, Strengthening the Medical Examiner and Coroner System Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Guest, Michael [R-MS-3] (R-MS); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10739
- As of: 2026-10-16
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-10739
- Congress: 119
- Title: Strengthening the Medical Examiner and Coroner System Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-10-05
- Sponsor: Rep. Guest, Michael [R-MS-3] (R-MS)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-16

## Summary

**Expand the forensic pathology workforce and medicolegal death investigation capacity.** The bill would create a federal grant program to fund forensic pathology fellowships, train medicolegal death investigators, and build forensic toxicology lab capacity across the country. - Medical graduates and trainees: Would fund at least 40 forensic pathology fellowships and set aside at least $7 million per year for fellowship-related grants. - Medicolegal death investigators: Would provide training and recruitment grants with at least $3 million per year to strengthen investigator capacity. - Forensic toxicology laboratories: Would receive grants for hiring and training in advanced toxicology methods and instrumentation with at least $3 million per year. - Rural and opioid-affected communities: Grants must be distributed nationwide with attention to rural areas and places with high opioid-use disorder to address local shortages. *Would authorize $13 million per year for 2028–2032, increasing federal spending over that period.*

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5] (D-MO), 2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Tax-free payments for forensic trainees: benefit, high. If enacted, payments to an individual under this grant program and other benefits that the individual gets from a grant recipient would not be taxable to that individual. The provision does not set payment amounts or an end date.
- Grants to grow forensic workforce: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a federal grant program run by the CDC’s Collaborating Office of Medical Examiners and Coroners. It would authorize $13 million each year for fiscal years 2028 through 2032. Each year at least $7 million would support forensic pathology fellowships, at least $3 mil…
- Rural priority in forensic grants: benefit, low. If enacted, grant officials would have to consider how funding is shared among States and between rural and urban areas. The Secretary would have to consider rural communities with opioid use disorder above the national average and communities that lack forensic medicine service providers. The rule…
- Who gets forensic training money: mixed, low. If enacted, only certain accredited or seeking-accreditation programs, publicly funded medical examiner or coroner offices, and publicly funded forensic toxicology labs could get grants. Grant funds could pay fellowship salaries, fringe benefits, supplies, and education costs. The funds could also…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act
- 119-hr-6976: Duty Status Reform Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-10739 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10739)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6644)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [119-hr-6976: Duty Status Reform Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6976)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10739 (as of 2026-10-16).