Bill > SB42

This bill amends existing Maryland law to provide immunity from civil lawsuits for certain entities involved in the disposition of unclaimed remains of veterans and their dependents. Specifically, a "registered reduction operator," which is an individual authorized to run a facility that converts human remains into soil through a process called "natural organic reduction," will not be held civilly liable for transferring unclaimed "hydrolyzed or soil remains" (which are the resulting soil from the natural organic reduction process) of a veteran or their eligible dependent to a veterans service organization. Similarly, a veterans service organization will not face civil liability for receiving these unclaimed remains for the purpose of their disposition, provided both parties act in good faith. This change expands upon existing protections by including these specific types of remains and clarifying the roles of registered reduction operators and veterans service organizations in handling them.