Senate subcommittee moves bill to investigate SUDEP deaths and require OCME reporting

Senator Bukowski pressed the subcommittee to approve SP 207, legislation that would require the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to study and report sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, or SUDEP, and to develop investigation protocols and public resources.

"One in 1,000 people with epilepsy die of SUDEP," Bukowski said, urging a systematic approach to cases that currently are often recorded as natural causes without further inquiry. The amendment considered at the hearing removed some training language from an earlier draft, the senator said.

Adam Gibson, representing the Epilepsy Foundation in Virginia, told the committee the foundation and its national partners examined the proposal and support it. "We have consulted with our physician advisory board quite extensively on this legislation, and believe that it would be in the best interest of Virginians," Gibson said.

The bill would instruct the OCME to disclose the cause of death in a full report when SUDEP is suspected, refer cases to appropriate institutions, and provide SUDEP resources and death-investigation forms on the OCME website. Proponents framed the measure as a step to better understand why SUDEP occurs and to improve prevention, comparing the effort to earlier expansions of sudden infant death syndrome investigation.

A motion to pass SP 207 carried in subcommittee. Ayes were recorded and one member abstained after noting they arrived late; the subcommittee moved the bill forward for further consideration.

The subcommittee did not adopt new funding provisions at this meeting. Next steps include committee reporting and scheduling in the full committee, where members may consider additional amendments or fiscal impacts.