Bill > H1003

This bill makes comprehensive modifications to laws governing funeral service, cremation, transportation, and preneed funeral contracts in North Carolina. The bill introduces several key changes across multiple areas of funeral service regulation, including expanding the definition of funeral service methods to explicitly include alkaline hydrolysis, modifying the North Carolina Board of Funeral Service's composition by changing board member appointments, creating new standards for body transportation and identification, and establishing a new category called "transportation protection agreement" separate from traditional preneed funeral contracts. The bill also updates requirements for funeral establishments, licensure, and record-keeping, including stricter criminal background check procedures for licensees, expanded reporting requirements for preneed funeral contracts, and more detailed provisions regarding the handling and transportation of human remains. Additionally, the bill increases maximum penalty amounts for various violations and provides more specific guidelines for how the Board can take disciplinary actions against licensees. The changes are designed to enhance consumer protection, improve professional standards, and provide more clarity in funeral service regulations, with most provisions becoming effective on October 1, 2025.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs, Justice

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/H1003