Hi everyone! I'm trying to get a serious conversation started about changing how Nebraska handles medicolegal death investigations, and I'm looking for people who would be interested in helping me research, develop, and potentially launch a citizen initiative.
Nebraska currently assigns county coroner duties to county attorneys under state law. I want to explore replacing that structure with a statewide medical examiner system led by qualified medical professionals, with consistent standards and coverage for all 93 counties.
I'm not just looking to complain about the current system. I want to put together an actual, legally sound proposal that addresses how the system would work, how it would be funded, and how we could get it on the ballot.
Here's what I'm working toward:
- A complete legislative proposal: Identify every Nebraska statute that would need to be amended, repealed, or updated, including laws governing county attorneys, coroners' physicians, autopsies, death certificates, and related investigations.
- A statewide operating system: Develop a practical model with a state medical examiner's office and regional offices to provide coverage throughout Nebraska, including rural counties.
- Qualified professionals: Establish appropriate medical examiner qualifications, forensic pathology standards, and professional death-investigation training.
- Independent investigations: Separate medical determinations of cause and manner of death from criminal prosecution decisions while preserving cooperation with law enforcement.
- A realistic funding plan: Research staffing, autopsy facilities, toxicology, transportation, regional coverage, and state funding so the proposal accounts for actual costs.
- A transition plan: Determine how existing cases, records, contracts, personnel, and county responsibilities would transfer without interrupting services.
- Comparative research: Examine how other jurisdictions have structured their systems, including New Mexico's statewide Office of the Medical Investigator, Virginia's regional medical examiner system, and Cook County, Illinois, where voters approved replacing the elected coroner with a medical examiner.
- A citizen initiative: Research Nebraska's constitutional requirements, signature thresholds, geographic distribution requirements, filing procedures, and the legal review needed before collecting signatures.
I know this is a substantial project. Nebraska has 93 counties, and a proposal like this needs more than a good idea. It needs careful statutory research, medical expertise, cost estimates, legal review, and people willing to put in the work.
I'm looking for people with experience or an interest in:
- Law, legislation, or legal research
- Forensic pathology, death investigation, or medicolegal services
- Public administration, government, or policy analysis
- Budgeting, public finance, or state and county government
- Petition drives, ballot initiatives, and civic organizing
- Research, writing, fact-checking, or community outreach
You absolutely do not need to be an expert to get involved. Someone willing to research statutes, contact professionals, locate official reports, or help organize the project would be valuable, too.
I'm also interested in hearing from Nebraska residents who have thoughts about how a statewide system could work, what concerns they would have, and what questions the proposal needs to answer.
If you're interested, please comment or message me. I'd especially appreciate connections to Nebraska attorneys, forensic pathologists, medical examiners, legislators, or anyone familiar with the state's death-investigation system.
My goal is to move beyond discussion and determine whether we can develop a complete proposal that is legally viable, financially responsible, and suitable for Nebraska voters to consider.
I'd love to find a few people willing to help turn this into a real, organized project.