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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate Bill 602 allows death certificate modifications based on brain autopsies
Last action · March 13, 2025: Subcommittee: Klimesh, Costello, and Trone Garriott. S.J. 513 .Sponsor: Herman Quirmbach
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What This Bill Would Do
Iowa requires the state department to establish procedures allowing death certificates to be modified and substituted using new information from a . The application does not require a court order if submitted within 10 years of the decedent's death, and the state cannot charge a fee for the service.
Families and physicians can update official death records when subsequent brain autopsies reveal contributing medical conditions, bypassing court order requirements and avoiding administrative fees for up to a decade following death.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
department
The department must establish new procedures, adopt rules, and process death certificate modifications without charging fees.
families of decedents
Families can apply to modify a decedent's death certificate without a court order or fee within ten years using brain autopsy findings.
Key Facts
- The department must establish procedures to modify and substitute death certificates using information from a qualifying brain autopsy.
- Qualifying autopsies can be performed by a person or laboratory licensed or authorized by the state, or by an accredited medical school located in the United States.
- A court order is not required for modification and substitution if the application is submitted within 10 years of the decedent's death.
- Substituted death certificates must comply with Code sections 144.38 and 144.41.
Show all 6 facts
- The state is prohibited from charging a fee for a death certificate modification and substitution under this subsection.
- The department is directed to adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to implement the new subsection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a court order to update a death certificate with brain autopsy results?
Does the state charge a fee to modify the death certificate?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Mar 13, 2025SenateSubcommittee: Klimesh, Costello, and Trone Garriott. S.J. 513 .
- Mar 10, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Health and Human Services. S.J. 465 .
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance40How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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