The Washington Times has reported on the Bereaved Consumers Bill of Rights Act. Opponents of this legislation say that regulation should be left to the States. However State Regulations have not prevented the Burr Oak Cemetery Horror in Illinois or the Eden Memorial Park(SCI) Cemetery Scandal in California.
Washington Times has reported on the Bereaved Consumers Bill of Rights
Snippet from the Washington Times:
“On the federal legislative front, Rep. Bobby L. Rush, Illinois Democrat, proposed the Bereaved Consumers Bill of Rights Act last September. The bill would prohibit deceptive acts by funeral services and protect consumers from misrepresentations.
“What we have tried to accomplish through this bill is to establish a baseline of federal minimums and standards,” Mr. Rush said. “We would hope that all states would have these minimums on their books, and in their own statutes, as a means to protect bereaved consumers.”
The bill, currently in the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on commerce, trade and consumer protection, was reviewed at a hearing last week. It would require providers of funeral services and funeral goods to disclose accurate pricing information regarding all aspects of funeral costs, and all contracts must be clearly written, stating all merchandise and services. via Washington Times
The bill also requires cemeteries to retain all records and make them available to federal, state and local governments.
Industry leaders, however, wonder if that regulation is something better handled on the state rather than federal level.
Timothy Robinson, legislative counsel for Mr. Rush’s subcommittee, said some states have robust laws and regulations to protect consumers from deceptive practices of funeral homes, cemeteries and crematoriums, while others’ are weak.
“We are very sensitive to the impact that this could have on small cemeteries,” Mr. Robinson said. “We are not establishing ceilings; we are establishing floors in key areas.”
Also testifying last week before the subcommittee was Patricia Brown Holmes, whose father and brother are buried in Burr Oak Cemetery. Miss Holmes is on the Cemetery Oversight Task Force in Illinois, which was formed in the wake of the Burr Oak incident. She touted the group’s success in enacting legislation on the state level to address the problems in Illinois.
The Cemetery Oversight Act of Illinois was signed into law on Jan. 17.
“It was the primary finding of the task force that without legislative reform and increased oversight of cemetery operations, the events that occurred at Burr Oak Cemetery and other cemeteries in the state of Illinois would continue to occur, and the same types of tragic stories the public has already heard too many times would continue to be told,” Miss Holmes said.”-via the Washington Times
Funeral Industry Reform Posted by Bereaved Consumers Protection Act
