An Act To Amend the Funeral Service Licensing Laws
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §1400, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2001, c. 169, §2, is further amended to read:
5. Practice of funeral service. "Practice of funeral service" means the engagement of a person in the care or disposition of the human remains or in the practice of disinfecting and preparing by embalming or otherwise the human remains for the funeral service, transportation of human remains to the place of burial or cremation, or the practice of helping to meet the emotions and disposition of the bereaved or the practice of funeral directing or embalming as presently known, whether under these titles or designations or otherwise. "Practice of funeral service" also means making arrangements for funeral services or selling funeral supplies to the public or making financial arrangements for the rendering of such services or the sale of such supplies. "Practice of funeral service" does not mean the ownership or operation of a cemetery, crematorium, mausoleum or columbarium or any other facility used for burial of human remains. "Practice of funeral service" does not include the transportation of human remains by an authorized person or the transportation of human remains by the owner of a closed hearse or other vehicle used exclusively for the purpose of transporting human remains in a sealed container from a licensed funeral establishment where the human remains have been prepared for burial or cremation to a location within or without the State.
A license for the practice of funeral service as used in this chapter is the license given to a person who is engaged in the practice of funeral service as above defined in this subsection.
summary
This bill allows individuals who own closed hearses or other appropriate vehicles to transport human remains in sealed containers from a licensed funeral establishment to a location in or outside the State without being required to become licensed by the State Board of Funeral Service.