Death Certificate Bills Pass Unanimously in Senate, Providing More Dignified Support for Grieving Families

LANSING, Mich., March 5, 2026 — Yesterday, the Michigan Senate unanimously passed House Bills 4077 and 4078, bipartisan legislation sponsored by state Reps. Julie M. Rogers (D-Kalamazoo) and Mike Mueller (R-Linden) to modernize Michigan’s death certificate process and reduce delays that grieving families often face. The bills now head to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk for signing.

“When someone passes away, loved ones deserve the ability to honor that life with dignity and begin the difficult work of saying goodbye,” Rogers said. “As a health care provider, I know how these delays affect families during some of the most painful moments of their lives. This legislation will help ensure the state does not stand in the way of that process.”

The legislation requires death certificates to be completed within 48 hours and submitted through a secure web-based system previously established by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Funerals, burial or cremation arrangements, insurance claims, and the settlement of legal estates all depend on timely death certificates.

“This is a commonsense solution to help funeral directors and medical examiners cut through the red tape to give families peace of mind during the loss of a loved one,” Mueller said.

In addition to establishing the 48-hour timeline, the legislation streamlines the certification process by clarifying when deaths must be certified by a physician and removing certain outdated conditions that required referral to a county medical examiner. The bills aim to improve efficiency and reduce administrative backlogs.

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