Section 41-61-56 - State Medical Examiner Task Force; established(1) There is established the State Medical Examiner Task Force as a successor entity to the State Medical Examiner Advisory Council created under Section 41-61-55(3). The task force is comprised of the following nine (9) members: (a) The State Health Officer or the officer's designee; (b) The Dean of the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Medicine or the dean's designee; (c) The Commissioner of Public Safety; (d) The Attorney General or the Attorney General's designee; (e) The President of the Mississippi Coroners and Medical Examiners Association or the president's designee; (f) The President of the Mississippi Prosecutors Association or the president's designee; (g) The President of the Mississippi Public Defenders Association or the president's designee; (h) The President of the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police or the president's designee; and (i) The President of the Mississippi Sheriffs' Association or the president's designee. Each member of the task force serves at the pleasure of the head of the member's agency or appointing authority. (2) The members of the task force shall elect a member annually to serve as chair. A member may not serve as chair more than two (2) consecutive years. The chair shall call meetings of the task force and shall cause written notice of the meetings to be furnished to members of the task force at least thirty (30) days before the date of a meeting. (3) Members of the task force must serve without compensation. (4) The task force shall meet at least once annually. (5) The first meeting of the task force must be held before September 30, 2024. Notice of the time and place of the first meeting must be provided to each member of the task force no less than sixty (60) days before the scheduled meeting. (6) Before December 31 of each year, the task force shall prepare and submit an annual report containing recommendations and advice to the Legislature. The report must include, but need not be limited to, the following: (a) Identification of needs and means to improve the investigation of deaths affecting the public interest while using best practices; (b) Identification of state medical examiner resources; and (c) Recommendations to enhance the efficiency of the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office. Amended by Laws, 2024, ch. 463, SB 2179,§ 4, eff. 4/30/2024.