SUDDEN UNEXPECTED YOUNG PERSON DEATH REPORTS

HB 235 requires medical examiners to conduct detailed autopsies and report specific sudden unexpected deaths of people under 20 to state and national health registries. It applies to sudden cardiac deaths in apparently healthy young people without known heart disease, unexplained natural deaths under 20, and infant deaths under one year (whether explained or unexplained). Autopsies must include toxicology, microscopic studies, and a review of medical and immunization records, with a focus on vaccines given within 90 days of death. The findings will be submitted to the New Mexico state registrar and a national CDC/NIH registry to standardize data collection for public health research.