The Mississippi House is threatening to cut off funding for the state medical examiner’s office unless it improves its standards.

The House changed a funding bill for the state Department of Public Safety to add the requirement for the medical examiner’s office, which is part of DPS. The provision could disappear as legislators begin final negotiations on bills.

The medical examiner’s office has been vacant for years. Mississippi hires pathologists to conduct some autopsies. Most are performed by Dr. Steven Hayne, but he’s not board certified, said Rep. Bob Evans, D-Monticello, who proposed the funding restriction.

The bill is Senate Bill 3124.