South Carolina General Assembly
121st Session, 2015-2016

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Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

H. 4845

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. King and Parks
Document Path: l:\council\bills\agm\18871ab16.docx

Introduced in the House on February 4, 2016
Introduced in the Senate on April 28, 2016
Last Amended on April 26, 2016
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry

Summary: Funeral home, director or embalmer

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    2/4/2016  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 9)
    2/4/2016  House   Referred to Committee on Medical, Military, Public and 
                        Municipal Affairs (House Journal-page 9)
    3/9/2016  House   Committee report: Favorable with amendment Medical, 
                        Military, Public and Municipal Affairs 
                        (House Journal-page 29)
   3/15/2016  House   Debate adjourned until Wed., 3-16-16 
                        (House Journal-page 24)
   3/16/2016  House   Debate adjourned until Thur., 4-21-16 
                        (House Journal-page 10)
   4/21/2016  House   Requests for debate-Rep(s). Bannister, GR Smith, Loftis, 
                        Burns, Nanney, Forrester, Toole, Atwater, Ballentine, 
                        Wells, Hiott, Clary, Whipper, Cole, Tallon, King, 
                        Whitmire (House Journal-page 18)
   4/26/2016  House   Amended (House Journal-page 102)
   4/26/2016  House   Read second time (House Journal-page 102)
   4/26/2016  House   Roll call Yeas-85  Nays-10 (House Journal-page 104)
   4/27/2016  House   Read third time and sent to Senate 
                        (House Journal-page 69)
   4/28/2016  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 11)
   4/28/2016  Senate  Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry 
                        (Senate Journal-page 11)

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

2/4/2016
3/9/2016
4/26/2016

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

AMENDED

April 26, 2016

H. 4845

Introduced by Reps. King and Parks

S. Printed 4/26/16--H.

Read the first time February 4, 2016.

            

STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED FISCAL IMPACT

Fiscal Impact Summary

This bill would have no expenditure impact on the general fund, federal funds, or other funds.

Explanation of Fiscal Impact

State Expenditure

This bill amends Chapter 19, Title 40 relating to funeral directors by adding Section 40-19-105 and amending Section 40-19-110(9) to authorize funeral directors, without penalty, to refuse to release a dead body to an individual with the legal right to take custody of the body if all financial obligations for the services provided have not yet been satisfied.

The Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation reports that this bill would have no expenditure impact on the general fund, federal funds, or other funds.

Frank A. Rainwater, Executive Director

Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office

A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 40-19-105 SO AS TO PROVIDE A FUNERAL HOME, FUNERAL DIRECTOR, OR EMBALMER MAY REFUSE TO RELEASE A DEAD HUMAN BODY TO THE CUSTODY OF THE PERSON OR ENTITY WHO HAS THE LEGAL RIGHT TO EFFECT A RELEASE UNTIL ALL FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS RELATED TO SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE FUNERAL HOME, FUNERAL DIRECTOR, OR EMBALMER WITH RESPECT TO THE DEAD HUMAN BODY HAVE BEEN FULLY SATISFIED; AND TO AMEND SECTION 40-19-110, RELATING TO UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT OF A FUNERAL DIRECTOR OR EMBALMER, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT REFUSING TO PROPERLY RELEASE A DEAD HUMAN BODY TO THE CUSTODY OF THE PERSON OR ENTITY WHO HAS THE LEGAL RIGHT TO EFFECT A RELEASE CONSTITUTES UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT EXCEPT WHEN THE REFUSAL IS FOR FAILURE TO SATISFY RELATED FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS.

Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Chapter 19, Title 40 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 40-19-105.    When a funeral home, funeral director, or embalmer ('transferor provider') provides services for a dead human body and the body subsequently is transferred to another funeral home, funeral director, or embalmer ('transferee provider') for additional services, the transferor provider has a cause of action against the transferee provider if the transferee fails to compensate the transferor for the services provided by the transferor. The transferor may recover its usual fee plus reasonable attorney fees and costs. An action brought pursuant to this section may be brought and tried in magistrate's court regardless of the amount of money involved, and the monetary jurisdictional limits of magistrate's court do not apply."

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on May 3, 2016 at 11:05 AM