---
title: SB 582. Coroners; the pronouncement of death by paramedics and emergency medical technicians; authorize
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb582
cite_as: SB 582, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb582
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb582.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb582/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73624
date: 2026-02-26
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb581.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb583.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb582.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 582
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-25
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Ricky Williams
- John Albers
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB582/2025
upstream_id: 2124796
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- coroners
- emergency medical services
- death pronouncement
- EMT and paramedic authority
- medical liability
---
# SB 582. Coroners; the pronouncement of death by paramedics and emergency medical technicians; authorize
## Text
Senate Bill 582
By: Senators Williams of the 25th and Albers of the 56th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 16 of Title 45 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
coroners, so as to authorize the pronouncement of death by paramedics and emergency
medical technicians; to amend Code Section 31-10-16 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to criteria for pronouncing death and immunity from liability, so as to
make a conforming change; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for
other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 16 of Title 45 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to coroners, is
amended by revising subsection (a) of Code Section 45-16-23, relating to delegation of
power by coroner or county medical examiner and qualifications of those authorized to
perform examinations, as follows:
"(a)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, any coroner or county
medical examiner may delegate to a local medical examiner, forensic consultant, or
medical examiner's investigator the power to perform those duties of such coroner or
medical examiner specified in this article if the person to whom such power is thus
delegated meets the applicable requirements of this Code section for the performance of
such duties, but the performance of those delegated duties shall not in any manner
infringe upon or diminish the authority of the peace officer in charge at the scene of the
crime.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, in cases of death resulting from
an accident upon an interstate highway or limited-access road as such terms are defined
in Code Section 32-1-3, any coroner or county medical examiner may delegate to medical
personnel otherwise qualified to meet the requirements of this article the power to
perform those duties of such coroner or county medical examiner specified in this article.
The delegation provided for in this paragraph shall occur only when the accident results
in a significant disruption to the flow of traffic upon the interstate highway or
limited-access road.
(3) A paramedic or emergency medical technician, as such terms are defined in Code
Section 31-11-2, shall be authorized to make a pronouncement of death only in cases
when authorization to make such pronouncement of death has been delegated by a
coroner or medical examiner.
(4) A person who acts in good faith in accordance with the provisions of this subsection
shall not be liable for damages in any civil action or subject to prosecution in any
criminal proceeding for such act."
SECTION 2.
Code Section 31-10-16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to criteria for
pronouncing death and immunity from liability, is amended as follows:
"31-10-16.
(a) A person may be pronounced dead by a qualified physician, by a registered
professional nurse or nurse practitioner authorized to make a pronouncement of death
under Code Section 31-7-16 or 31-7-176.1, by an advanced practice registered nurse
authorized to make a pronouncement of death under subsection (o) of Code
Section 43-34-25, or by a physician assistant authorized to make a pronouncement of death
under Code Section 31-7-16 or 31-7-176.1 or subsection (j) of Code Section 43-34-103,
or by a paramedic or emergency medical technician authorized to make a pronouncement
of death under Code Section 45-16-23 if it is determined that the individual has sustained
either (1) irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory function or (2) irreversible
cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem.
(b) A person who acts in good faith in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of
this Code section shall not be liable for damages in any civil action or subject to
prosecution in any criminal proceeding for such act.
(c) The criteria for determining death authorized in subsection (a) of this Code section
shall be cumulative to and shall not prohibit the use of other medically recognized criteria
for determining death."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
Senate Bill 582 would let paramedics and emergency medical technicians pronounce someone dead when a coroner or medical examiner has delegated that authority to them, adding EMS workers to the short list of Georgia professionals who can make that call.
### Plain-language summary
Under current Georgia law, only certain people, such as physicians, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses acting under specific code sections, can officially pronounce someone dead. Coroners and county medical examiners can also delegate some death-scene duties to qualified medical personnel in limited situations, such as highway accidents that snarl traffic.
This bill adds paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to the group of people who can pronounce death, but only when a coroner or medical examiner has specifically delegated that authority to them. It also updates a separate Georgia Code section on the criteria for pronouncing death so it lists paramedics and EMTs alongside the other authorized professionals, and it removes the second listed criterion for death (irreversible cessation of all brain function) from that section, leaving irreversible loss of circulatory and respiratory function as the standard named there. Anyone who acts in good faith under these rules would be protected from civil and criminal liability.
### What it does
- Adds a new provision letting paramedics and EMTs pronounce death, but only when a coroner or medical examiner has delegated that specific authority to them.
- Grants legal immunity from civil and criminal liability to paramedics and EMTs who pronounce death in good faith under this delegated authority.
- Updates Georgia's general death-pronouncement law (O.C.G.A. § 31-10-16) to add paramedics and EMTs to the list of professionals who can pronounce death.
- Removes the listed criterion of 'irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem' from the criteria section, leaving irreversible loss of circulatory and respiratory function as the named standard.
- Keeps existing rules letting coroners delegate death-related duties to local medical examiners, forensic consultants, and medical personnel at major highway accidents.
### Who it affects
Paramedics and emergency medical technicians statewide, county coroners and medical examiners who decide whether to delegate pronouncement authority, hospitals and EMS agencies, and families and law enforcement who rely on an official pronouncement of death at a scene.
### Why it matters
If enacted, EMS workers could officially pronounce death on scene once a coroner or medical examiner authorizes it, potentially speeding up how quickly a death is documented without requiring a physician or nurse to respond. The change to the criteria section also narrows the death definition listed there to circulatory and respiratory failure.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 45-16-23 to add new paragraphs (3) and (4), authorizing paramedics and EMTs (as defined in O.C.G.A. § 31-11-2) to pronounce death only when a coroner or medical examiner has delegated that power.
- Section 1 also grants good-faith immunity from civil and criminal liability to anyone acting under this new delegation authority.
- Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 31-10-16 to add paramedics and EMTs authorized under Section 45-16-23 to the list of people who can pronounce death.
- Section 2 removes the listed criterion referencing irreversible cessation of all brain function, leaving irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory function as the named standard in that Code section.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-25)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-02-26)
- Sponsors: Ricky Williams, John Albers
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73624
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb582.md?full=1