BILL NUMBER: S4460
SPONSOR: SKOUFIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the county law, in relation to abolishing the office of
coroner
 
PURPOSE:
To require counties to end the archaic practice of electing an individ-
ual to serve as county coroner.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Amends section 400 of the County Law to mandate that each
county, other than Lewis and Madison County, shall abolish the office of
coroner.
Section 2: Sets effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Electing an individual to serve as a county coroner is archaic and opens
an important position to individuals who may lack any qualifications for
the post. County coroners are not required to have any specific quali-
fication to serve. Voters do not elect the heads of county departments
like Social Services or Parks and Recreation, and there is no reason
that a county coroner should be elected. Many counties have already
abolished the office of coroner, and section 400 of the County Law
already provides a process for counties that choose to abolish county
coroner to create the office of county medical examiner instead. This
bill would require that the existing process be used by any county that
still elects county coroners. Two counties, Lewis and Madison, have
specific provisions written into the existing county law, and this bill
would leave those provisions intact. The effective date of the act is
the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have
become a law.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
Senate
2019: N/A
2020: S7258, Referred to Local Government
2021: S1887, Referred to Local Government
2022: S1887, Referred to Local Government
2023: S2760, Referred to Local Government
2024: S2760, Referred to Local Government
Assembly
2019: N/A
2020: A10220, Referred to Local Government
2021: A6851, Referred to Local Government
2022: A6851, Referred to Local Government
2023: A6326, Referred to Local Government
2024: A6326, Referred to Local Government
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the state.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect the first of January next succeeding the date
on which it shall have become a law.

Statutes affected:
S4460: 400 county law, 400(2) county law