The Missouri state flag is seen flying outside the Missouri State Capitol Building on Jan. 17, 2021 in Jefferson City (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images).
Coroners are crucial to their counties, but low pay keeps many potential candidates away.
“A lot of people realize that we need a higher level of education, a higher level of standards for the office of the coroner,” Dent County Coroner Ben Pursifull said. “The problem is you’re not going to get a great influx of good candidates without adequately compensating them for their time.”
Currently, a coroner only needs to fill four requirements to be elected: U.S. citizenship, above the age of 21, reside in Missouri for one year and within the county for which they are elected for six months.
Only medical examiners must be licensed physicians, not coroners. The difference between counties that have a medical examiner and a coroner depends on their classification based on population; larger counties have a medical examiner.
Legislation pushed by state Rep. John Voss, a Republican from Cape Girardeau, last year was intended to “ensure a baseline level of competency for Missouri coroners” but was shot down and opposed by coroners.
The bill required Missouri coroners to meet equivalent certification levels of an EMT and have specialized training in death investigations, among other qualifications. Most coroners don’t meet these requirements and neither do some nurses, Pursifull said. Instead, the Missouri Coroner’s and Medical Examiner’s Association worked with Voss to draft legislation addressing training standards, qualification requirements and salary increases.
Voss’ new bill, House Bill 1122, introduces mandatory annual training requirements for coroners and deputy coroners, increases pay to be in line with other county officials and supports training expenses for smaller counties. A public hearing is scheduled for Thursday at 8 a.m.
“I personally believe if you’re going to ask someone to be qualified to a higher level, that they ought to be compensated to a higher level,” Voss said.
A current statute stipulates that $1 of any death certificate fee will be put into the Missouri State Coroners’ Training Fund, which has a cap of $500,000. Voss’ bill would remove that cap to provide a grant program for everything from equipment and office supplies to constructing forensic laboratory space.
Another bill, Senate Bill 1, proposes that a coroner’s salary may receive an increase of up to $14,000. The bill received initial approval on Feb 4.
Lawmakers tried to address the issue once before.
In 2022, Missouri passed legislation that said the coroner, subject to the approval of the salary commission, could receive a $14,000 raise. However, the Missouri Supreme Court shot it down because there were multiple unrelated subjects in the bill, which is unconstitutional.
As some law enforcement officers are employed by or volunteer for the coroner’s office, a recently revised statute increased the minimum compensation for sheriffs.