REPORT ON BILLS FAVORABLY REPORTED BY COMMITTEE

TITLE OF BILL:

AN ACT CONCERNING DISPOSITION OF UNCLAIMED CREMATED REMAINS BY FUNERAL DIRECTORS.

SPONSORS OF BILL:

REASONS FOR BILL:

To establish a process for the disposition of unclaimed cremated remains by funeral directors by providing a space to record information about the intended manner of disposition.

RESPONSE FROM ADMINISTRATION/AGENCY:

Richard Blumenthal, Attorney General, testified in support of this Bill. Current law is void of any explanation of process or responsibilities of funeral directors for handling unclaimed remains of a family member and this Bill will provide clarity.

Rep. Janice Giegler, submitted testimony in support of this Bill. Citing a case of a funeral home in Danbury, which at the time of closing, had in it's possession 87 sets of cremated remains that had been unclaimed. It became clear that regulations were needed to provide funeral home directors with guidelines to follow that would also protect them from civil action procedures in such cases.

NATURE AND SOURCES OF SUPPORT:

William Molloy, Legislative Chair, Connecticut Funeral Directors Association, Inc., testified in support of this Bill. Mr. Molloy stated that as the increase numbers of cremations in Connecticut continue, more funeral directors are experiencing an increase in unclaimed remains and with no regulations to follow, this would become an even greater problem. This legislation would allow the Department of Public Health to formulate and regulate the process by which funeral directors and embalmers could dispose of unclaimed remains in a clear and distinct way.

Daniel P. Jowdy, Funeral Director and Member of the CT Board of Examiners of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, spoke in favor of this legislation. Mr. Jowdy submitted testimony relating a personal experience he had with unclaimed cremated remains in his funeral home in Danbury. It is believed that this Bill will provide clarity to funeral directors and embalmers as to the proper process to dispose of unclaimed remains.

NATURE AND SOURCES OF OPPOSITION:

None

REPORT ON BILLS FAVORABLY REPORTED BY COMMITTEE

TITLE OF BILL:

AN ACT CONCERNING DISPOSITION OF UNCLAIMED CREMATED REMAINS BY FUNERAL DIRECTORS.

SPONSORS OF BILL:

REASONS FOR BILL:

To establish a process for the disposition of unclaimed cremated remains by funeral directors. Providing a space to record information about the intended manner of disposition.

RESPONSE FROM ADMINISTRATION/AGENCY:

See attached Public Health Committee JF Report with action date 04/04/2005.

NATURE AND SOURCES OF SUPPORT:

See attached Public Health Committee JF Report with action date 04/04/2005.

NATURE AND SOURCES OF OPPOSITION:

See attached Public Health Committee JF Report with action date 04/04/2005.