Senate hears bill to set minimum pay, benefits for coroners and related county officer provisions

A Senate committee held an extended hearing on House Bill 646 (presented as LC474268S), which would create a statewide framework for coroner compensation, deputy coroner staffing, and certain retirement/health benefit provisions affecting long‑serving county officers.

The bill’s presenter described a minimum salary schedule for coroners tied to county population (the bill’s description during the hearing referenced a range ‘‘from approximately $17,000 to $105,000 annually’’) and a limit of one deputy coroner by default unless additional deputies are approved through local budgeting. Sponsors said salaries would increase with state employee cost‑of‑living adjustments and counties could supplement pay but could not reduce compensation during a coroner’s current term of office.

County coroners and associations provided detailed testimony. Dawson County coroner Ted Beard said small counties have difficulty recruiting deputy coroners and that some coroners and deputies are paid vocationally and rely on multiple part‑time jobs; he described scenarios in which deputies forfeit significant income to take call time. A witness reported his office performed about 150 death investigations last year. Another witness noted the bill mirrors work done over several years with ACCG and COAG and that the measure incorporates a House amendment (HB868) that would allow certain long‑serving county officers (ages 55–65 with at least 16 years of service) to remain on county health plans temporarily as a transition benefit.

Association testimony from John Clayton of the Constitutional Officers Association of Georgia (COAG) and from the Georgia Coroners Association emphasized the policy history: the legislature has previously enacted an annexation/arbitration framework and has revisited coroner pay multiple times; proponents argued the bill addresses a 35‑year‑old gap in statute. ACCG representatives said they were open to amendments but raised concerns about provisions that do not match how other constitutional officers are treated (for example, local supplement protections and the interpretation of ‘‘term’’ vs. ‘‘current term of office’’ language).

Committee members questioned whether the proposed pay and benefit changes should be mandatory or subject to local appropriation. Some senators favored making deputy compensation and certain benefits mandatory to ensure deputy coroners are paid for time on call; others preferred preserving local budget discipline and the ability of county commissions to set compensation under appropriation rules. Witnesses urged clearer language on when a coroner becomes a full‑time role (several witnesses suggested a 100‑case‑per‑year threshold and/or 2,080 hours). Committee members agreed to continue discussions and scheduled a follow‑up working meeting later in the week rather than taking a final vote at this session.

The hearing drew extensive stakeholder input and the committee left the bill for further consideration rather than voting it out on this day.