Monitoring the Session

HB 5383

bill requiring forensic pathology certification for medical examiners

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Tom OliversonRHouse 130

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the requirements for appointment as a medical examiner or employment as a deputy medical examiner.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Anatomic and forensic both, for deputies too.

The bill requires every county medical examiner to hold a board certification in both anatomic and forensic pathology, on top of the existing medical license rules. It also requires any deputy medical examiner a county office hires to hold, or be eligible to hold, that same certification. Counties with a medical examiner must meet the new standard starting January 1, 2026, and the old "to the greatest extent possible" softening on training is removed.

Labels

Labels: GOT HALFWAY. Passed the House on May 15, 2025. Died in the Senate: never got out of the Criminal Justice committee.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB5383 · 2025-03-14

SOLD BY

Rep. Tom OliversonRHouse 130

ITEM

relating to the requirements for appointment as a medical examiner or employment as a deputy medical examiner.

WHAT IT DOES

Anatomic and forensic both, for deputies too.

The bill requires every county medical examiner to hold a board certification in both anatomic and forensic pathology, on top of the existing medical license rules. It also requires any deputy medical examiner a county office hires to hold, or be eligible to hold, that same certification. Counties with a medical examiner must meet the new standard starting January 1, 2026, and the old "to the greatest extent possible" softening on training is removed.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 6, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
  2. Read first time
  3. Referred to s/c on County & Regional Government by Speaker
  4. Scheduled for public hearing in s/c on . . .
  5. Considered by s/c in public hearing
  6. Committee substitute considered in s/c
  7. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in subcommittee
  8. Left pending in subcommittee
  9. Considered in formal meeting
  10. Committee substitute considered in committee
  11. Reported favorably as substituted
  12. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  13. Committee report distributed
  14. Committee report sent to Calendars
  15. Considered in Calendars
  16. Placed on General State Calendar
  17. Read 2nd time
  18. Passed to engrossment
  19. Record vote RV#2515
  20. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  21. Read 3rd time
  22. Passed
  23. Record vote RV#2630
  24. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  25. Reported engrossed
  26. Received from the House
  27. Read first time
  28. Referred to Criminal Justice
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 134 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 15, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Tom Oliverson

Donors

Donors report through Friends of Tom Oliverson.

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Oct 27, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Votes2

House May 15, 2025

Yea
134
Nay
0
Present, not voting
2
Absent
8
Excused
6
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 2630

HB 5383 was passed by (Record 2630): 134 Yeas, 0 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 134 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 8 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 6 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House May 14, 2025

Yea
131
Nay
0
Present, not voting
2
Absent
11
Excused
6
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 2515

CSHB 5383 was passed to engrossment by (Record 2515): 131 Yeas, 0 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 131 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 11 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 6 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses2
For
1
Against
1
On
0
Names

For

  • Self1 registration

Against

  • Self1 registration
Sources

2 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 6, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Mar 14, 2025

05/16/2025 S Referred to Criminal Justice

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report · Engrossed

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Intergovernmental Affairs · Committee vote 11 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Senate committee · Criminal Justice · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

County Government--General

Health--General

FORENSIC TESTING

Text

The text as introduced · 338 words

89R13537 MCF-F

By: Oliverson
H.B. No. 5383

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the requirements for appointment as a medical examiner

or employment as a deputy medical examiner.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Sections 2(a) and (b), Article 49.25, Code of

Criminal Procedure, are amended to read as follows:

(a) The commissioners court shall appoint the medical

examiner, who serves at the pleasure of the commissioners court. A

person appointed as the medical examiner must :

(1) hold a certification in anatomic pathology and

forensic pathology issued by the American Board of Pathology; and

(2) either be:

(A) [ (1) ] a physician licensed by the Texas

Medical Board; or

(B) [ (2) ] a person who:

(i) [ (A) ] is licensed and in good standing

as a physician in another state;

(ii) [ (B) ] has applied to the Texas Medical

Board for a license to practice medicine in this state; and

(iii) [ (C) ] has been granted a provisional

license under Section 155.101, Occupations Code.

(b) The [ To the greatest extent possible, the ] medical

examiner shall be appointed from persons having training and

experience in anatomic and forensic pathology, toxicology,

histology and other medico-legal sciences.

SECTION 2. Section 3, Article 49.25, Code of Criminal

Procedure, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 3. ASSISTANTS. The medical examiner may, subject to

the approval of the commissioners court, employ such deputy medical

examiners, scientific experts, trained technicians, officers and

employees as may be necessary to the proper performance of the

duties imposed by this Article upon the medical examiner. A deputy

medical examiner employed under this section must hold or be

eligible to hold a certification issued by the American Board of

Pathology in anatomic pathology and forensic pathology.

SECTION 3. A person is not required to comply with Article

49.25, Code of Criminal Procedure, as amended by this Act, until

January 1, 2026.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.