Opinion ID: 1671268
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: coroner's salary

Text: There are two statutory provisions regarding compensation for coroners: La. R.S. 33:1556 and 33:1559. La. R.S. 33:1556(A) sets out a list of fees for various services [4] provided by coroners and limits the collection of these fees to coroners operating on a fee basis: (5) The provisions of this Subsection shall only apply to coroners on a fee basis (emphasis added). Subsections (D) and (E) divide the responsibilities for payment of the various fees listed in (A) between parishes and municipalities depending on the domicile of the decedent and the manner of death. The state is responsible for some fees associated with deaths occurring at state health care and treatment facilities. Subsection (G) requires parishes to pay the coroner's fees for services relating to admitting or committing persons to state health care and treatment facilities. La. R.S. 33:1559 addresses extra compensation for coroners, and provides in pertinent part: A. (1) Any coroner who is paid a salary or a salary and fees under the provisions of this Part, in addition, shall be paid five hundred forty-eight dollars per month by the state. (2) Any coroner who is paid only fees under the provisions of this Part shall be paid five hundred forty-eight dollars per month by the state and may be paid an additional five hundred dollars per month by the parish governing authority. B. The extra compensation for coroners payable by the state provided for in Subsection A of this Section shall be payable monthly by the state treasurer on the warrant of the coroners from funds appropriated by the legislature for this purpose (emphasis added). It is necessary to read the pertinent parts of § 1556 and § 1559 in pari materia in order to understand the entire compensation scheme envisioned by the legislature. The language of § 1559 recognizes three different methods of compensating coroners: a salary, a salary plus fees, or fees alone. It also requires the state to pay coroners extra compensation of $548/month, and allows parish governing bodies to pay coroners who rely solely on fees an additional $500/month if the parish governing body so desires. Reading § 1559 in conjunction with § 1556, it appears that there are two types of fee-basis coroners: those who are paid a salary plus fees and those that are paid fees only. Coroners compensated in either of these manners can collect the fees per service listed in § 1556(A), and only when it is contemplated that a coroner will be compensated exclusively with a salary is he excluded from application of § 1556(A). The crucial question, however, is who determines whether a particular coroner will be compensated with fees only, a salary only, or a combination of the two. Carriere contends that it must necessarily be the coroner's choice. He claims that it would violate principles of independence and be contrary to the constitutional nature of the office to put the coroner at the mercy of local governmental authorities in relation to his compensation. The court of appeal disagreed and reversed the trial court's judgment compelling the Police Jury to pay Carriere a $25,000 salary plus health insurance and retirement benefits. It interpreted § 1559(A)(2) as providing a purely discretionary option for parish governing bodies to provide coroners who receive only fees with an additional $500/ month as extra compensation. The only mandatory language in § 1559 refers to the state's obligation to pay all coroners $548/ month. Although Carriere pointed out that the state has scarcely appropriated funds to pay this statutory supplement, the court of appeal correctly noted that the state is not a party defendant in this suit. The court of appeal found it significant that the legislature provides salaries for other constitutionally enshrined state officials such as district attorneys and sheriffs, and it determined that it was also the legislature's responsibility to adequately compensate coroners. It declined to impose the burden of providing salaries to coroners on parish governing bodies absent clear instruction from the legislature to do so. We agree with the conclusion reached by the court of appeal. Although there is nothing in the current statutory provisions to indicate which party is entitled to make this choice, a provision in the old law, prior to revision in 1984, is instructive. From 1926 until 1984, La. R.S. 33:1556 stated in pertinent part: The coroner of each parish ... may be either or both ex officio parish physician and parish health officer. ... When the coroner is designated as parish health officer, the police jury or other governing authority shall fix a salary in addition to the coroner's fees as otherwise provided, to be paid to the coroner in his capacity as parish health officer.... However, the coroner shall not be designated as parish health officer in any parish having a full-time health unit. If the police jury fixes the salary of the coroner, as parish physician, such salary shall be in lieu of all fees fixed in R.S. 33:1558 [now § 1556(A) ]. Act No. 429 § 1, 1978 La. Acts 1063-64 (emphasis added); see Act No. 52 § 1, 1977 La. Acts 190; Act No. 151 § 2, 1952 La. Acts 151-52; Act No. 241 § 1, 1926 La. Acts 418. This provision explains the legislature's reference to three alternative methods of compensating coroners in the current § 1559. Formerly, a coroner who was also named parish health officer was entitled to a salary plus fees, a coroner named ex officio parish physician collected fees until and unless the parish governing body fixed a salary for him, and under such circumstances, the salary was in lieu of fees, and a coroner given neither additional title or responsibilities collected only fees. The parish governing body decided whether or not to designate the coroner as ex officio parish physician and/or parish health officer. In 1984, the statutory provisions in Title 33 regarding the coroner's office were updated to reflect the duties actually being carried out by coroners and to increase their fees. Tape of Louisiana House Judiciary Committee, Consideration of Louisiana Senate Bill 233 (June 19, 1984). The paragraph regarding designation of the coroner as ex officio parish physician and/or parish health officer was omitted in the revision. However, the legislature reinforced its intention to provide parish governing bodies with a choice regarding compensation of coroners. The 1984 revision added § 1559 which clearly maintains the three alternative methods of compensating coroners, and indicates a desire on the part of the legislature for the state to shoulder some of financial burden regarding compensation of coroners. We find nothing in the statutory provisions, as revised, to indicate that the legislature intended to change the law and give coroners the power to choose whether to receive fees or to become salaried or both. Instead, this decision has always been, and continues to be, at the discretion of parish governing bodies. [5]