COMPENSATION FOR COUNTY CORONERS

This act provides that the salary of a coroner in a noncharter county may be set as a base schedule as provided by law subject to an increase up to $14,000 upon the majority approval of the salary commission. (Sections 50.327 and 58.095)

These provisions are identical to provisions in the truly agreed to and finally passed CCS/SS/SCS/HB 1606 (2022) and SCS/SB 1128 (2022) and similar to HB 2438 (2022).

Additionally, under current law, when the office of the sheriff is vacant, the county coroner is authorized to perform all the duties of the sheriff, until another sheriff is appointed. This act provides that if the coroner becomes acting sheriff and the sheriff is no longer receiving the sheriff's salary, the coroner may be paid, in addition to the coroner's salary, the difference between the salaries of the sheriff and coroner so that the coroner receives the equivalent of the sheriff's salary while serving as acting sheriff. (Section 58.200)

These provisions are identical to provisions in SB 1363 (2024), the truly agreed to and finally passed CCS/SS/SCS/HB 1606 (2022), SB 1085 (2022), and HB 2175 (2022).

BASE SALARY SCHEDULES FOR THIRD CLASS COUNTIES

This act provides that the salary commission of any third class county may amend the base salary schedules as provided by law for the computation of salaries for county officials to include assessed valuation factors in excess of $300 million dollars; provided that the percentage of any adjustments shall be equal for all county officials in that county. (Section 50.327)

These provisions are identical to provisions in SB 1363 (2024), the truly agreed to and finally passed CCS/SS/SCS/HB 1606 (2022) and SB 704 (2022).

COUNTY AUDITORS

This act provides that, upon request, a county auditor in certain counties shall have access to and the ability to audit and examine claims of every kind and character for which a county officer has a fiduciary duty. (Section 55.160)

These provisions are identical to provisions in SB 1363 (2024), the truly agreed to and finally passed CCS/SS/SCS/HB 1606 (2022) and substantially similar to SB 889 (2022) and SB 628 (2021).

BOONE COUNTY SHERIFF

Under current law, first and second class county sheriffs shall receive salaries equal to 80% of the compensation of associate circuit judges of the county. (Section 57.317)

This act excludes the sheriff in Boone County.

These provisions are identical to provisions in SB 1363 (2024), the truly agreed to and finally passed CCS/SS/SCS/HB 1606 (2022).

SALARIES OF COUNTY PUBLIC ADMINISTRATORS

Currently, if a public administrator of a second, third, or fourth class county or of the City of St. Louis elects to be placed on salary, the salary is determined by a schedule based on the average number of open letters in the two years preceding the term in which the salary is elected. This act provides that every public administrator who begins his or her term on or after January 1, 2024, shall be deemed to have elected to receive such salary. This act also provides that a letter of guardianship and a letter of conservatorship shall be counted as separate letters. Additionally, it shall be two letters if the public administrator is appointed by the court as both a guardian and a conservator to the same ward or protectee.

Furthermore, this act provides that upon majority approval by the salary commission, a public administrator may be paid according to the assessed valuation schedule set forth in the act. If the salary commission elects to pay a public administrator according to the assessed valuation schedule, the salary commission shall not elect to change at any future time to pay the public administrator according to the average number of open letters in lieu of paying them according to the assessed valuation schedule. (Section 473.742)

These provisions are identical to provisions in SB 1363 (2024), the truly agreed to and finally passed CCS/SS/SCS/HB 1606 (2022), and SB 1088 (2022) and substantially similar to HB 2450 (2022) and HB 2450 (2021) and is similar to SB 803 (2020).

JOSH NORBERG

PUBLISHING OF COUNTY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Sections 50.815, 50.820, 50.800, & 50.810)

This act changes the date counties shall prepare and publish their financial statements from the first Monday in March to June 30th of each year. Additionally, the county treasurer shall not pay the county commission until notice is received from the State Auditor that the county's financial statement has been published in a newspaper after the first day of July.

This act also requires second, third, and fourth class counties to produce and publish a county annual financial statement in the same manner as counties of the first classification. The financial statement shall include the name, office, and current gross annual salary of each elected or appointed county official.

The county clerk or other county officer preparing the financial statement shall provide an electronic copy of the data used to create the financial statement without charge to the newspaper requesting the data.

Finally, the newspaper publishing the financial statement shall charge and receive no more than its regular local classified advertising rate as published 30 days before the publication of the financial statement.

These provisions are identical to provisions in SB 1362 (2024), the perfected HB 2571 (2024), HS/HCS/SB 1363 (2024), truly agreed to and finally passed CCS/SS/SCS/HB 1606 (2022), SB 845 (2022), and SB 1191 (2022) and substantially similar to SB 1541 (2022) and HB 381 (2021).

COUNTY FINANCIAL STATEMENT PENALTIES FOR FAILURE TO FILE (Section 105.145)

Under current law, any transportation development district having gross revenues of less than $5,000 in a fiscal year for which an annual financial statement was not timely filed to the State Auditor is not subject to a fine.

This act provides that any political subdivision that has gross revenues of less than $5,000 or that has not levied or collected sales or use taxes in the fiscal year for which the annual financial statement was not timely filed shall not be subject to a fine.

Additionally, if failure to timely submit the annual financial statement is the result of fraud or other illegal conduct by an employee or officer of the political subdivision, the political subdivision shall not be subject to a fine if the statement is filed within 30 days of discovery of the fraud or illegal conduct.

If the political subdivision has an outstanding balance for fines at the time it files its first annual financial statement after August 28, 2025, the Director of Revenue shall make a one-time downward adjustment to such outstanding balance in an amount that reduces the outstanding balance by no less than 90%. If the Director of Revenue determines a fine is uncollectable, the Director shall have the authority to make a one-time downward adjustment to any outstanding penalty.

These provisions are identical to provisions in SB 1362 (2024), the perfected HB 2571 (2024), HS/HCS/SB 1363 (2024), the truly agreed to and finally passed CCS/SS/SCS/HB 1606 (2022) and the truly agreed to and finally passed SS/SCS/SB 724 (2022) and substantially similar to HB 441 (2021), HB 826 (2021), and to provisions in SCS/SB 527 (2021).

JOSH NORBERG

Additionally, the sheriff shall commit to jail all felons and traitors as well as other duties as provided in the act. The sheriff may be removed from office by a quo warranto petition brought by the Attorney General.

This amendment is similar to SJR 75 (2024).

JOSH NORBERG

HB 1122 -- CORONERS (Voss)

COMMITTEE OF ORIGIN: Standing Committee on Local Government

This bill requires a candidate for the office of coroner to provide evidence of completion of a certification to do death investigations when filing a declaration of candidacy.

Currently, $1,000 of a coroner's salary is payable only upon completion of 20 hours of classroom instruction per calendar year. This bill applies this salary condition not only to coroners but also to deputy coroners and assistants.

This bill repeals a provision of law allowing the coroner in any county not having a charter form of government to, upon approval of the county commission, receive additional compensation in any month during which more than three investigations are performed.

Criteria for the required 20 hours of classroom instruction are provided in the bill.

The bill provides that, when the office of sheriff is vacant and the coroner becomes the acting sheriff, if the previous sheriff is no longer receiving a salary, the coroner can be paid, in addition to the coroner's salary, the difference between the salaries of the sheriff and coroner.

Currently, a $1 fee is collected for every death certificate issued in the State and credited to a fund to be used by the Missouri Coroners' and Medical Examiners' Association for trainings, equipment, and supplies. Any amount remaining in the fund over $500,000 reverts to the credit of general revenue. This bill allows these funds to be used to reimburse coroners' offices for expenses incurred for training attendance. At least $150,000 must be designated annually for the above-stated purposes. A professional association of the county coroners of Missouri can establish a grant program with money remaining in the fund that can be used to assist coroners' offices, in an amount up to $5,000 annually per office, with costs associated with investigative tools and equipment; construction, maintenance, or repair of office or forensic laboratory space; and the discharge of death investigation responsibilities. No money remaining in this fund will revert to the credit of general revenue.

This bill repeals provisions related to the Coroner Standards and Training Commission, as provided in the bill.

JOSH NORBERG