Crimes and offenses; medical examiners, criminal penalties imposed for retention of deceased individual's organ without notice and consent

HB 71 makes it a Class C felony for medical examiners in Alabama to keep a deceased person's organs without first notifying and getting consent from the next of kin. Currently, medical examiners must notify next of kin if they retain organs to determine identification or cause of death, and they are already prohibited from using organs for other purposes without consent. This bill strengthens that rule by imposing criminal penalties for unauthorized retention beyond the existing requirements. It directly affects medical examiners and forensic staff working in Alabama counties, requiring them to obtain explicit consent before retaining organs for any purpose other than identification or cause of death.