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2010 SESSION

10103141D
HOUSE BILL NO. 201
Offered January 13, 2010
Prefiled January 8, 2010
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 54.1-2811.1, relating to handling of human remains.
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Patron-- Alexander
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Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 54.1-2811.1 as follows:

§ 54.1-2811.1. Handling and storage of human remains.

A. Upon taking custody thereof, 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.

B. If a dead unembalmed human body is to be stored for more than 48 hours, it shall be maintained in a container that (i) can be closed in order to provide complete covering for the body and (ii) is resistant to leakage or spillage.

C. If a dead human body is to be stored at a location other than the funeral establishment that has taken custody of it, the funeral establishment shall disclose to the contract buyer the location where the body is to be stored and the method of storage.

D. Funeral establishments, crematories, or transportation services shall not transport animal remains together with dead human bodies. Further, animal remains shall not be refrigerated in a unit where dead human bodies are being stored.