CHAPTER 19

Senate Bill No. 381

An Act concerning coroners; relating to appointment in judicial districts; authorizing the board of county commissioners of any county that is not the most populous county in a multiple-county judicial district to appoint a coroner to serve as the district coroner for the county; amending K.S.A. 22a-226 and repealing the existing section.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:

Section 1. K.S.A. 22a-226 is hereby amended to read as follows: 22a-226. (a) There is hereby established the office of district coroner in each judicial district of the state. The district coroner shall be a resident of the state of Kansas licensed to practice medicine and surgery by the state board of healing arts or shall be a resident of a military or other federal enclave within the state and shall be duly licensed to practice medicine and surgery within such enclave.

(b) (1) The local medical society or societies in each judicial district shall nominate one or more candidates for the office of district coroner and submit the names of the persons so nominated to the board of county commissioners of a single-county judicial district or the board of county commissioners of the county with the largest population in a multiple-county judicial districts district on or before January 1, 1995, and every four years thereafter. The board of county commissioners of a single-county judicial district or the board of county commissioners of the county with the largest population in a multiple-county judicial districts district shall appoint a district coroner for the district. The appointee may be one of the persons nominated or some other qualified person.

(2) In a multiple-county judicial district, the board of county commissioners of any county that is not the most populous county may appoint a coroner to serve as the district coroner for the county at the expense of the county. The appointee may be a person nominated by the local medical society or societies or some other qualified person. The appointee shall be the district coroner for the appointing county and all provisions of this section related to the term of office, qualifications, requirements and duties shall apply to the appointee. The provisions of K.S.A. 22a-215, 22a-227 through 22a-233, 22a-235 and 22a-236, and amendments thereto, shall also apply.

(c) The district coroner shall serve for a term of four years, which term shall begin on the second Monday in January of the year in which such coroner is appointed, and such coroner’s compensation shall be as provided by law. Vacancies in the office of district coroner shall be filled in the same manner as appointments for regular terms of district coroner. Such an appointment shall be for the remainder of the regular term and shall be effective from the date the coroner is appointed and is otherwise qualified for the office.

(d) The coroner shall, before entering upon the duties of the office, take and subscribe an oath or affirmation that such coroner will faithfully, impartially and to the best of the coroner’s skill and ability discharge the duties of district coroner.

(e) The district coroner, with the approval of the board of county commissioners of a single-county judicial district or the county commissioners of the county with the largest population in multiple-county judicial districts that appointed such coroner, may appoint one or more deputy coroners, who shall have the qualifications of and shall have the same duties and authority as the district coroner, except that, whenever a district coroner is unable to appoint a qualified deputy, a special deputy coroner who does not possess the requisite qualifications may be appointed for a term not to exceed one year or until a qualified deputy is appointed, whichever occurs first. The district coroner shall have supervisory authority over all deputy coroners. Deputy coroners, before entering upon the discharge of their duties shall take and subscribe an oath or affirmation to faithfully discharge the duties of their office to the same extent and with like effect as the district coroner.

(f) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a district coroner from being appointed as district coroner in more than one judicial district.

Sec. 2. K.S.A. 22a-226 is hereby repealed.

Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its publication in the statute book.

Approved April 4, 2024.