Currently, the only qualifications to serve as an elected coroner in Idaho are to be a resident and to be 21 years old. HB 492, which passed the House today on a 47-23 vote, would tack a $1 fee onto copies of certified death certificates in Idaho to pay for training for newly elected county coroners and continuing education for coroners, and would require such training. "Thousands and thousands of dollars are at stake when the cause of death has to be determined, if there are accidental deaths or suicides involed, and those decisions affect not only the family but the insurance companies," Rep. Marc Gibbs, R-Grace, told the House, after several members spoke out against the idea of any fee increase. "There's a need to have county coroners trained, there's a need for ongoing and continuing education," Gibbs said. The bill, which Gibbs is cosponsoring with House State Affairs Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, and Senate President Pro-Tem Bob Geddes, R-Soda Springs, now heads to the Senate side.

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