House subcommittee reports bill to abolish common-law crime of suicide; delayed effective date set

The House Courts criminal subcommittee reported HB43 as amended to the full House by a recorded vote of 14–6.

Chair Watts described the measure as abolishing the common-law crime of suicide and noted the amendment includes a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. The substitute (and line amendment) requires the Bureau of Insurance to review and report on the potential impacts to insurance and to deliver findings and recommendations to the chairs of the House and Senate Courts of Justice committees by Nov. 1, 2026.

The committee reported the bill as amended (7–3 in subcommittee) and carried that recommendation to a floor roll vote that recorded 14 votes in favor and 6 opposed. The transcript does not record the names of individual yea/nay voters in the roll call.

The bill’s text, as explained on the record, places a delayed effective date and a mandatory Bureau of Insurance study to inform implementation. The committee’s report advances the bill to the next stage of House consideration; the Bureau’s study will be a required evidentiary input before implementation if the bill becomes law.

The committee did not identify additional agencies responsible for immediate implementation beyond the Bureau of Insurance study requirement. No public testimony appears on the record in the provided transcript.

The committee’s action means HB43 will move forward with a formal recommendation despite recorded opposition.