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2010 SESSION

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HB 201 Human remains; proper handling by funeral establishment.

Introduced by: Kenneth C. Alexander | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles | history

SUMMARY AS PASSED:

Funeral services; handling of human remains.  Provides that, upon taking custody of a dead human body, a funeral service establishment shall maintain the body in a manner that provides complete coverage and is resistant to leakage or spillage. If the body is to be stored for more than 48 hours prior to disposition, the establishment shall maintain the body in refrigeration or, with the express permission of the next of kin, have the body embalmed and, if the body is to be stored for more than 10 days at a location other than the establishment, disclose the location where the body is to be stored and the method of storage.

SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE:

Funeral services; handling of human remains. Provides that, upon taking custody of a dead human body, a funeral service establishment shall maintain the body in a manner that provides complete coverage and is resistant to leakage or spillage. If the body is to be stored for more than 48 hours prior to disposition, the establishment shall maintain the body in refrigeration or have the body embalmed and, if the body is to be stored for more than 10 days at a location other than the establishment, disclose the location where the body is to be stored and the method of storage. This bill includes a provision stating that a body shall not be embalmed and shall be refrigerated if the family of the deceased objects to embalming on the grounds that it conflicts with their religious tenets or practices.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Funeral services; handling of human remains.  Provides that (i) a funeral establishment shall ensure that a dead human body is embalmed or maintained in refrigeration at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less if it is to be stored for more than 48 hours; (ii) if a dead unembalmed human body is to be stored for more than 48 hours, it shall be maintained in a container that can be closed in order to provide complete covering for the body and is resistant to leakage or spillage; and (iii) dead human bodies shall not be transported or refrigerated together with animal remains.