Washington HB 2094: Improving consumer protection on gift certificates.

Bill Text

AN ACT Relating to saving taxpayer money by requiring coroners to 1
be appointed rather than elected; amending RCW 36.16.030, 43.101.480, 2
36.16.050, 36.17.020, and 36.24.205; creating a new section; and 3
declaring an emergency.4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that county coroners 6
occupy positions of significant public importance. By investigating 7
unexpected deaths, coroners provide important public safety and 8
public health services. Technical skill, and medical and legal 9
investigative abilities are critical to perform this function. 10
Coroner is not a political position, yet most counties are required 11
to hold coroner elections.12
Many coroners or medical examiners in the state are already 13
appointed and serving successfully. Counties with less than 40,000 14
may appoint a coroner in lieu of electing a coroner, while those with 15
more than 250,000 may appoint a medical examiner. Having all 16
counties, including those in between those thresholds, appoint rather 17
than elect a coroner will reduce taxpayer costs by removing an 18
unnecessary elected office. Therefore, in order to better steward 19
public funds, the legislature finds that coroners throughout the 20
state should be appointed rather than elected.21
H-2471.1
HOUSE BILL 2094
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Dufault, Corry, Schmidt, Leavitt, Walen, Bronoske,
Wylie, Graham, Salahuddin, and Bernbaum
Prefiled 12/02/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on Local Government.
p. 1 HB 2094

Sec. 2. RCW 36.16.030 and 2021 c 127 s 4 are each amended to 1
read as follows:2
(1) Except as provided elsewhere in this section, in every county 3
there shall be elected from among the qualified voters of the county 4
a county assessor, a county auditor, a county clerk, ((a county 5
coroner,)) three county commissioners, a county prosecuting attorney, 6
a county sheriff, and a county treasurer((, except that in each 7
county with a population of less than forty thousand the county 8
legislative authority may determine that no coroner shall be elected 9
and instead)). A noncharter county may have five county commissioners 10
as provided in RCW 36.32.010 and 36.32.055 through 36.32.0556.11
(2) Each county legislative authority must appoint a coroner. If 12
a county has an elected coroner as of the effective date of this 13
section, the elected coroner may continue in office until the 14
coroner's term of office expires, at which time the county 15
legislative authority must appoint a coroner. In a county with a 16
population of ((two hundred fifty thousand)) $250,000 or more, the 17
county legislative authority may replace the office of coroner with a 18
medical examiner system and appoint a medical examiner as specified 19
in RCW 36.24.190. Any county may enter into an interlocal agreement 20
under chapter 39.34 RCW with an adjoining county for the provision of 21
coroner or medical examiner services. ((A noncharter county may have 22
five county commissioners as provided in RCW 36.32.010 and 36.32.055 23
through 36.32.0558.))24
Sec. 3. RCW 43.101.480 and 2021 c 127 s 3 are each amended to 25
read as follows:26
(1)(a) All ((elected coroners, appointed)) coroners, persons 27
serving as coroners, medical examiners, and all other full-time 28
medicolegal investigative personnel employed by a county coroner's or 29
medical examiner's office must successfully complete medicolegal 30
forensic investigation training through the medicolegal training 31
academy program within 12 months of being ((elected,)) appointed((,)) 32
or employed unless otherwise exempted by the commission. This section 33
does not apply to elected prosecutors who are coroners in their 34
counties.35
(b) All part-time medicolegal investigative personnel employed by 36
a county coroner's or medical examiner's office must successfully 37
complete medicolegal forensic investigation training through the 38
p. 2 HB 2094

medicolegal training academy program within 18 months of being 1
employed unless otherwise exempted by the commission.2
(2) The commission, in conjunction with the Washington 3
association of coroners and medical examiners and a practicing 4
physician selected by the commission, shall develop the medicolegal 5
forensic investigation training curriculum and adopt the standards 6
for the medicolegal training academy and any exemption from the 7
requirement to complete the medicolegal forensic investigation 8
training. The commission shall exempt from this requirement any 9
coroner, medical examiner, or medicolegal investigative personnel who 10
has obtained training comparable to the medicolegal forensic 11
investigation training by virtue of educational or professional 12
training or experience.13
(3) The commission must certify successful completion of the 14
medicolegal forensic investigation training or exemption from the 15
medicolegal train