Reestablishes the office of coroner in the county of Oswego; removes the powers and duties of coroners from the district attorney in such county; allows Oswego County to appoint a coroner.
Summary
A05574 would reestablish the office of coroner in Oswego County and shift coroner-related powers and duties away from the county district attorney. Under the bill, the coroner’s office would again exist as a separate county office, and the county legislature would be authorized to appoint the coroner. The bill also provides that, until a coroner is appointed, the Oswego County district attorney would continue serving in that role.
The measure is narrowly tailored to Oswego County and amends the County Law to add a special provision for that county alone. It expressly states that the change is not intended to create a general home-rule precedent for other counties to alter coroner provisions by local law. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.
Impact
The bill would amend the County Law to create a county-specific exception for Oswego County, restoring a coroner office that had been absorbed into the district attorney’s responsibilities. It would transfer any coroner powers and duties currently exercised by the district attorney to an appointed coroner selected by the county legislature, affecting county-level death investigation administration and the allocation of related duties within local government.
Sentiment
The available voting record shows strong and unanimous support throughout the Assembly process. The bill advanced 19-0 in the Assembly Local Governments Committee, 35-0 in Ways and Means, 28-0 in Rules, and passed the Assembly floor 134-0. No committee transcript objections are provided, and the recorded votes indicate broad agreement with the proposal.
Contention
No substantive opposition is reflected in the available materials. The only potentially notable policy issue is the structural change itself: moving coroner functions from the district attorney to a separately appointed coroner and making the change specific to Oswego County. The bill also includes language preventing other counties from using this amendment as authority to make similar changes by local law, which suggests an intent to limit broader application and avoid home-rule disputes.
Same As
Reestablishes the office of coroner in the county of Oswego; removes the powers and duties of coroners from the district attorney in such county; allows Oswego County to appoint a coroner.
Reestablishes the office of coroner in the county of Oswego; removes the powers and duties of coroners from the district attorney in such county; allows Oswego County to appoint a coroner.