Substitute House Bill 240 Summary

• Defines "legal residence" of a deceased person as their permanent place of abode at time of death, including nursing homes and hospitals, for purposes of determining who pays for burial or cremation expenses.

• Recognizes that the term "coroner" includes medical examiners, and "deputy coroner" includes deputy medical examiners, throughout Ohio law.

• Changes qualifications for charter county coroners to require only a current medical license and good standing in profession, eliminating the two-year practice requirement.

• Allows county commissioners to contract with another county's coroner when a vacancy cannot be filled by election or appointment, with supplemental compensation permitted for services rendered.

• Specifies that firearms found with deceased persons are delivered to local law enforcement for evidentiary purposes, with next of kin able to claim them if legally eligible to possess them.

• Requires the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction or Department of Youth Services to pay autopsy costs for inmates of state correctional facilities.

• Establishes supplemental compensation for forensic pathologist coroners in counties with populations over 175,000, with amounts based on certification status and examination volume.