Senate Bill 358 amends the statutes regarding fees charged by counties for coroner or medical examiner services. The bill introduces an exception to the current law that restricts fee increases based on the annual percentage change in the U.S. consumer price index. Specifically, it 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 an amount exceeding the previous rate by up to $100. This exception does not apply to counties with populations over 300,000.

The bill modifies the existing legal language by removing the previous stipulation that the transition must occur under an intergovernmental cooperation agreement and updates the timeframe for the transition. The new provisions enable counties to establish these fees without regard to changes in the consumer price index, thereby providing greater flexibility in fee setting for these essential services.

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