Senate Bill No. 720
(By Senators Chafin and McCabe)
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[Introduced February 18, 2008; referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §30-6-3 and §30-6-22 of the Code of
West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend and reenact
§61-12-9 of said code, all relating to specifically including
the surviving spouse and a designated individual previously
chosen by the deceased as a person who may designate the
manner of disposition of a deceased person's body.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §30-6-3 and §30-6-22 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931,
as amended, be amended and reenacted; and that §61-12-9 of said
code be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
CHAPTER 30. PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS.
ARTICLE 6. BOARD OF FUNERAL SERVICE EXAMINERS.
§30-6-3. Definitions.
As used in this article, the following words and terms have
the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(a) "Apprentice" means a person who is preparing to become a
licensed funeral director and embalmer and is learning the practice
of embalming, funeral directing or cremation under the direct
supervision and personal instruction of a duly licensed embalmer or
funeral director.
(b) "Authorized representative" means a person legally
authorized or entitled to order the cremation of the deceased, as
established by rule. An authorized representative may include the
following:
(1) The deceased;
(2) The surviving spouse;
(3) A designated individual previously chosen by the deceased;
(2) (4) The deceased's next of kin;
(3) (5) A court order;
(4) (6) A public official who is charged with arranging the
final disposition of an indigent deceased; or
(5) (7) A representative of an institution who is charged with
arranging the final disposition of a deceased who donated his or
her body to science.
(c) "Board" means the West Virginia Board of Funeral Service
Examiners.
(d) "Certificate" means a certification by the board to be a
crematory operator.
(e) "Courtesy card holder" means a person who only practices
funeral directing periodically in West Virginia and is a licensed
embalmer and funeral director in a state which borders West
Virginia.
(f) "Cremated remains" or "cremains" means all human remains,
including foreign matter cremated with the human, recovered after
the completion of cremation.
(g) "Cremation" means the mechanical or thermal process
whereby a dead human body is reduced to ashes and bone fragments
and then further reduced by additional pulverization, burning or
re-cremating when necessary.
(h) "Crematory" means a licensed place of business where a
deceased human body is reduced to ashes and bone fragments and
includes a crematory that stands alone or is part of or associated
with a funeral establishment.
(i) "Crematory operator" means a person certified by the board
to operate a crematory.
(j) "Crematory operator in charge" means a certified crematory
operator who accepts responsibility for the operation of a
crematory.
(k) "Deceased" means a dead human being for which a death
certificate is required.
(l) "Embalmer" means a person licensed to practice embalming.
(m) "Embalming" means the practice of introducing chemical substances, fluids or gases used for the purpose of preservation or
disinfection into the vascular system or hollow organs of a dead
human body by arterial or hypodermic injection for the restoration
of the physical appearance of a deceased.
(n) "Funeral" means a service, ceremony or rites performed for
the deceased with a body present.
(o) "Funeral directing" means the business of engaging in the
following:
(1) The shelter, custody or care of a deceased;
(2) The preparation of a deceased for burial or other
disposition;
(3) The arranging or supervising of a funeral or memorial
service for a deceased; and
(4) The maintenance of a funeral establishment for the
preparation, care or disposition of a deceased.
(p) "Funeral director" means a person licensed to practice
funeral directing.
(q) "Funeral establishment" means a licensed place of business
devoted to: The care, preparation and arrangements for the
transporting, embalming, funeral, burial or other disposition of a
deceased. A funeral establishment can include a licensed
crematory.
(r) "Funeral service licensee" means a person licensed after
the first day of July, two thousand three, to practice embalming and funeral directing.
(s) "License" means a license, which is not transferable or
assignable, to:
(1) Practice embalming and funeral directing;
(2) Operate a crematory or a funeral establishment.
(t) "Licensee" means a person holding a license issued under
the provisions of this article.
(u) "Licensee in charge" means a licensed embalmer and funeral
director who accepts responsibility for the operation of a funeral
establishment.
(v) "Memorial service" means a service, ceremony or rites
performed for the deceased without a body present.
(w) "Mortuary" means a licensed place of business devoted
solely to the shelter, care and embalming of the deceased.
(x) "Person" means an individual, partnership, association,
corporation, not-for-profit organization or any other organization.
(y)"Registration" means a registration issued by the board to
be an apprentice to learn the practice of embalming, funeral
directing or cremation.
(z) "State" means the State of West Virginia.
§30-6-22. Disposition of body of deceased person; penalty.
(a) No public officer, employee, physician or surgeon, or any
other person having a professional relationship with the deceased,
shall may send, or cause to be sent, to any embalmer, funeral director or crematory operator the body of any deceased without
first inquiring the desires of
the surviving spouse, the next of
kin, or any persons who may be chargeable with the funeral expenses
of the deceased. If any next of kin or person can be found,
his or
her authority and direction
of any next of kin, or persons who may
be chargeable with the funeral expenses of the deceased shall be
used as to the disposal of the body of the deceased.
(b) Any person who violates the provisions of this section is
guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be
fined not less than five hundred dollars, nor more than one
thousand dollars, or
imprisoned confined in jail not less than ten
days nor more than ninety days, or both.
CHAPTER 61. CRIMES AND THEIR PUNISHMENT.
ARTICLE 12. POSTMORTEM EXAMINATIONS.
§61-12-9. Permits required for cremation; fee.
(a) It is the duty of any person cremating, or causing or
requesting the cremation of, the body of any dead person who died
in this state, to secure a permit for the cremation from the Chief
Medical Examiner, the county medical examiner or county coroner of
the county where the death occurred. Any person who willfully
fails to secure a permit for a cremation, is guilty of a
misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less
than two hundred dollars. A permit for cremation shall be acted
upon by the Chief Medical Examiner, the county medical examiner or the county coroner after review of the circumstances surrounding
the death, as indicated by the death certificate. The person
requesting issuance of a permit for cremation shall pay a
reasonable fee, as determined by the Chief Medical Examiner, to the
county medical examiner or coroner or to the Office of the Chief
Medical Examiner, as appropriate, for issuance of the permit.
(b) Any person operating a crematory who does not perform a
cremation pursuant to the terms of a cremation contract, or
pursuant to the order of a court of competent jurisdiction, within
the time contractually agreed upon, or, if the cremation contract
does not specify a time period, within twenty-one days of receipt
of the deceased person's remains by the crematory, whichever time
is less, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
(c) Any person operating a crematory who fails to deliver the
cremated remains of a deceased person, pursuant to the terms of a
cremation contract, or pursuant to the order of a court of
competent jurisdiction, within the time contractually agreed upon,
or, if the cremation contract does not specify a time period,
within thirty-five days of receipt of the deceased person's remains
by the crematory, whichever time is less, is guilty of a
misdemeanor.
(d) Any person convicted of a violation of the provisions of
subsection (b) or (c) of this section shall be fined not less than
one thousand dollars nor more than five thousand dollars or confined in
the county or regional jail for a period not to exceed
six months, or both.
(e) In any criminal proceeding alleging that a person violated
the time requirements of this section, it is a defense to the
charge that a delay beyond the time periods provided
for in this
section were caused by circumstances wholly outside the control of
the defendant.
(f) For purposes of this section, "cremation contract" means
an agreement to perform a cremation, as a "cremation" is defined in
subsection (g), section three, article six, chapter thirty of this
code. A cremation contract is an agreement between a crematory and
any authorized person or entity, including, but not limited to:
(1) The deceased person, prior to his or her death;
(2) The surviving spouse;
(3) A designated individual previously chosen by the deceased;
(2) (4) The deceased person's next of kin;
(3) (5) A public official charged with arranging the final
disposition of an indigent deceased person or an unclaimed corpse;
(4) (6) A representative of an institution who is charged with
arranging the final disposition of a deceased who donated his or
her body to science;
(5) (7) A public officer required by statute to arrange the
final disposition of a deceased person;
(6) (8) Another funeral establishment; or
(7) (9) An executor, administrator or other personal
representative of the deceased.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to specifically include the
surviving spouse and a designated individual previously chosen by
the deceased as a person who may designate the manner of
disposition of a deceased person's body.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.