Senate Bill 358 amends the statutes regarding fees charged for coroner or medical examiner services by establishing a new exception to current fee increase restrictions. Specifically, the bill allows counties that transition from providing coroner or lay medical examiner services to physician medical examiner services between December 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, to set the fees for signing death records and issuing cremation permits at amounts exceeding those in effect on April 17, 2015, by up to $100. This provision permits counties to establish these fees without adhering to the annual percentage change in the U.S. consumer price index, which is typically required for fee adjustments.

Additionally, the bill removes the previous stipulation that the transition to physician medical examiner services must occur under an intergovernmental cooperation agreement and updates the timeframe for this transition. Notably, the exception does not apply to counties with populations exceeding 300,000, ensuring that larger counties remain subject to the existing fee increase limitations.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 59.365(3)(a), 59.365