HB210 is a local act applying only to Calhoun County that revises the compensation structure for the county coroner. It updates the effective dates and dollar amounts in existing law, increasing the coroner’s expense allowance to $20,000 per year beginning June 1, 2025, and setting the coroner’s base annual salary at $54,750 beginning January 18, 2027. The bill also preserves the ability for the coroner to receive certain uniform county employee compensation increases, while clarifying how those increases are treated for budgeting and salary purposes.
The bill further allows the coroner to employ up to two compensated assistant coroners, with each assistant paid $6,100 annually. It also authorizes the coroner to accept reimbursement from funeral establishments for certain reasonable and necessary costs, with those reimbursements to be remitted to the county commission and placed in a separate account for coroner office operating expenses, supplies, equipment, and training. In addition, the bill repeals the existing Section 45-8-60, which previously governed coroner compensation in Calhoun County, and replaces it with the amended provisions in Section 45-8-60.01.
The bill’s impact is limited to Calhoun County and primarily affects the coroner’s office, the county commission, and county budgeting practices. It changes state law by amending and repealing local statutory provisions in the Code of Alabama that govern compensation, expense allowances, assistant staffing, and reimbursement handling for the coroner. It does not create a statewide rule, but it does alter how county funds and outside reimbursements may be used for coroner operations.
The general sentiment around HB210 appears strongly favorable and noncontroversial. The recorded votes were unanimous in both chambers, with no recorded nays in the House or the second house, suggesting broad bipartisan support and little opposition. The bill was enacted without any committee transcript indicating debate or concern.
No major points of contention are reflected in the available materials. The only potentially sensitive issues are the increase in public compensation, the use of county general funds, and the handling of reimbursements from funeral establishments, but the unanimous votes suggest these provisions were accepted without significant dispute. The bill appears to have been treated as a routine local compensation update rather than a contested policy change.
HB210 amends Alabama law only for Calhoun County by revising the statutory compensation scheme for the county coroner, increasing salary and expense allowances, authorizing up to two paid assistant coroners, and directing how reimbursements and operating funds are handled. It repeals the prior local compensation section and replaces it with updated provisions effective June 1, 2025, affecting county payroll, budgeting, and coroner office operations.
The bill appears to have enjoyed unanimous support and moved through both chambers without recorded opposition. The absence of negative votes and the lack of committee controversy indicate a broadly favorable, routine local-legislation consensus around updating coroner compensation in Calhoun County.
No significant contention is evident in the available record. The main substantive issues are the increase in compensation, the addition of paid assistant coroners, and the handling of reimbursements from funeral homes, but none of these generated recorded opposition. Any concern would likely center on local fiscal impact and compensation policy, yet the unanimous votes suggest those concerns were not politically divisive.