Reference is to the bill as introduced.
Amend the bill, as and if amended, by deleting SECTION 1 and SECTION 2 in their entirety and inserting:
/ SECTION 1. Section 32-7-50 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 70 of 2009, is further amended to read:
"Section 32-7-50.
(A) Without first securing a license
from the department, no one, except a financial institution, may
accept or hold payments made on a preneed funeral contract.
(1)
The State Board of Funeral Service must revoke the license
of a funeral home or funeral director, or both, if the funeral
home or funeral director: (a) accepts funds for a preneed
funeral contract or other prepayment of funeral expenses without
a license to sell preneed funeral contracts, or (b) is licensed
to sell preneed funeral contracts and fails to deposit the funds
collected in trust in a federally insured account as required by
Section 32-7-20(H).
(2)
Application for a license must be in writing, signed by
the applicant, and verified on forms furnished by the
department. Each An application must
contain at least the following: the full name and address, both
residence and place of business, of the applicant and every
member, officer, and director of it if the applicant is a firm,
partnership, association, or corporation. A license issued
pursuant to the application is valid only at the address stated
in the application for the applicant or at a new address
approved by the department.
(3)
If a licensee cancels the license and later applies for a
new license, the department shall investigate the applicant's
books, records, and accounts to determine if the applicant
violated the provisions of this chapter during the time he did
not have a license.
(B) Upon receipt of the
application, a one-time payment of a two hundred and fifty
dollar license fee, and the deposit in an amount to be
determined by the department of the security or proof of
financial responsibility as the department may determine, the
department shall issue a license unless it determines that the
applicant has made false statements or representations in the
application, is insolvent, has conducted his business in a
fraudulent manner, is not authorized to transact business in
this State, or if, in the judgment of the department, the
applicant should be denied a license for some other good and
sufficient reason.
(C) A person selling a
preneed funeral contract shall collect from each purchaser a
service charge and all fees collected must be remitted by the
person collecting them to the department at least once each
month.
(1)
With the fees collected, the person also must provide the
department with a listing of each contract sold. If the listing
or fees collected are not sent to the department within sixty
days of the last day of the month when the contract was sold,
the department shall assess a civil penalty of ten dollars for
each contract not reported to the department. The monies
collected as civil penalties must be deposited in the Preneed
Funeral Loss Reimbursement Fund. Upon its own initiative or
upon complaint or information received, the department shall
investigate a person's books, records, and accounts if the
department has reason to believe that fees are collected and
either not remitted or not timely remitted.
(2)
The service charge for each contract may not exceed a
total of thirty dollars, twenty-five dollars for the department
to use in administering the provisions of this chapter and five
dollars to be allocated to the Preneed Funeral Loss
Reimbursement Fund.
(3)
The department shall keep a record of each preneed funeral
contract for which it receives a service charge.
(D) A license
issued pursuant to this section expires on September thirtieth
of each odd-numbered year unless otherwise revoked or canceled.
A license must be renewed by filing a renewal application at
least thirty days prior to expiration on forms prescribed by the
department. A renewal application must be accompanied by a fee
of two hundred dollars for the department to use in
administering this chapter. The department shall deposit one
hundred dollars of each renewal fee received into the fund. The
department shall consider the factors in subsection (B) before
issuing a license."
SECTION 2. Section 32-7-60(B) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 70 of 2009, is further amended to read:
"(B) From the
service charge for each preneed contract as required by Section
32-7-50(C), the department shall deposit into the fund that
portion of the charge as established by the department. The
department may suspend or resume deposits into the fund at any
time and for any period to ensure that a sufficient amount is
available to meet likely disbursements and to maintain an
adequate reserve. The maximum amount of the service charge to
be allocated to the Preneed Funeral Loss Reimbursement Fund as
required by Section 32-7-50(C)(2) may not exceed the amount of
five dollars for each preneed contract. The maximum
amount of the fund is five hundred thousand dollars with a five
percent adjustment compounded annually." /
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.