H529 - Amend Funeral Laws. (SL 2018-78)

Overview: S.L. 2018-78 makes various changes to the laws pertaining to the practice of funeral service, many of which are technical, clarifying, or codifications of existing rules. Some of the more notable substantive changes include the following:

• Provides an exception to the prohibition against the simultaneous cremation of human remains of more than one person when the cremation is for (1) the human remains of multiple fetuses from the same mother and same birth, or (2) human remains of multiple persons up to the age of one year old from the same mother and the same birth. This provision became effective June 25, 2018.
• Authorizes the process of alkaline hydrolysis for the disposal of human remains. Generally, the license for the hydrolysis of human remains has the same requirements and fees as licensing of crematories, and the Board has the same powers over hydrolysis licensees.
• Requires unembalmed human remains retained in the custody of a funeral establishment for more than 24 hours be kept in a refrigeration unit.
• Requires individuals permitted to transport and remove dead human bodies for a fee to obtain and maintain a professional liability insurance policy with liability limits of at least $500,000.
• Makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor for any person to knowingly and willfully abuse, mutilate, or not treat with reasonable care a dead human body in that person's custody. This provision becomes effective December 1, 2018.

Except as otherwise provided, this act becomes effective October 1, 2018.