To repeal section 58.095, RSMo 1994, relating to county coroners, and to enact one new section relating to the same subject.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI,

AS FOLLOWS:

Section A. Section 58.095, RSMo 1994, is repealed and one new section enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as section 58.095, to read as follows:

58.095. 1. The county coroner in any county, other than in a first class chartered county, shall receive an annual salary computed on a combination class-population basis as set forth in the following schedule. The population factor shall be as disclosed by the last federal decennial census. The provisions of this section shall not permit or require a reduction in the amount of compensation received by any person holding the office of coroner on January 1, 1988:

Population Salary

Less than 10,000 $5,500

10,000 to 15,000 6,000

15,001 to 20,000 6,500

20,001 to 24,000 7,000

24,001 to 30,000 7,500

30,001 or more 8,000

2. [Five hundred] One thousand dollars of the salary authorized in this section shall be payable to the coroner only if he has completed at least twenty hours of classroom instruction each calendar year relating to the operations of the coroner's office when approved by a professional association of the county coroners of Missouri unless exempted from the training by the professional association. The professional association approving the program shall provide a certificate of completion to each coroner who completes the training program and shall send a list of certified coroners to the treasurer of each county. Expenses incurred for attending the training session may be reimbursed to the county coroner in the same manner as other expenses as may be appropriated for that purpose.

3. The county coroner in any county, other than a first class charter county, shall not, except upon two-thirds vote of all the members of the salary commission, receive an annual compensation in an amount less than the total compensation being received for the office of county coroner in the particular county for services rendered or performed on the date the salary commission votes.

4. For the term beginning in 1997, the compensation of the coroner, in counties in which the salary commission has not voted to pay one hundred percent of the maximum allowable salary, shall be a percentage of the maximum allowable salary established by this section. The percentage applied shall be the same percentage of the maximum allowable salary received or allowed, whichever is greater, to the presiding commissioner or sheriff, whichever is greater, of that county for the year beginning January 1, 1997. In those counties in which the salary commission has voted to pay one hundred percent of the maximum allowable salary, the compensation of the coroner shall be based on the maximum allowable salary in effect at each time a coroner's term of office commences following the vote to pay one hundred percent of the maximum allowable compensation. Subsequent compensation shall be determined as provided in section 50.333, RSMo.

5. Effective January 1, 1997, the county coroner in any county, other than a county of the first classification with a charter form of government, may, upon the approval of the county commission, receive additional compensation for any month during which investigations or other services are performed for three or more decedents in the same incident during such month. The additional compensation shall be an amount that when added to the regular compensation the sum shall equal the monthly compensation of the county sheriff.