What's happening
This bill requires cemeteries in New York to provide prompt burials in accordance with the deceased's cultural or religious practices.
Why it matters
Ensures timely burial for cultural/religious needs. The bill requires cemeteries to bury or inter remains on the same day they arrive (if before sunset with two hours’ notice), recognizing the importance of prompt burial in many faiths and cultures.
Provides accountability for delays. If a cemetery cannot meet these timely requirements due to high burial volume or insufficient staff, they must document and provide a written explanation to the deceased’s representatives, offering transparency for grieving families.
Allows reasonable extra charges but limits them. Cemeteries can charge extra for expedited services, but those fees are capped at one and a half times the regular hourly wage for staff involved, helping prevent price gouging during emotionally vulnerable times.
Reflects broader sensitivity to diverse communities. Annual cemetery meetings must consider cultural calendars, promoting ongoing respect and accommodation for New York’s varied religious and cultural groups.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Require Fast Religious Burials
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 17
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to consumer protection
- Referred to consumer protection
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2112
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 12, 2017
Introduced by Sen. FELDER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection
AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to requiring cemeteries to provide for the expeditious burial and interment of deceased humans consistent with the conscious or cultural community of which they were a part
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 451-a to read as follows:
§ 451-a. Prompt burial and interment. Each cemetery corporation and municipality operating a cemetery shall provide for the burial and interment of the remains of a deceased human upon the day which such remains arrive at the cemetery, consistent with the requirements therefor of the conscious or cultural community of which the deceased was a part and any state or local statutory and regulatory requirements, if the remains of the deceased human are delivered to the cemetery not less than one-half hour before sunset, provided that the cemetery receives two hours advance notice. In the event that a cemetery is unable to bury and inter the remains of a deceased human on the same day as such remains arrive at such cemetery, as required by the conscious or cultural community of which the deceased was a part, and such inability is the result of the large number of burials and interments still to be completed by the cemetery and/or the lack of sufficient staff to open a grave in a timely manner, the cemetery shall provide a log or other written proof thereof to a representative or representatives of the deceased. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit the imposition of additional fees for such expeditious burial and interment to compensate the operator of the cemetery for the reasonable and necessary additional expenses incurred by such operator, provided, that such additional fees for labor shall be limited to one and one-half the hourly
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04803-01-7
S. 2112 2
rate of wages paid to employees associated with the burial and interment from the time opening a grave commences until one-half hour after the last person at the interment service has left the cemetery.
§ 2. Cemeteries shall comply with the general business law as far as providing notice for annual meetings, and shall schedule meetings which shall consider the cultural schedules of the various societies.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the general business law, in relation to requiring cemeteries to provide for the expeditious burial and interment of deceased humans consistent with the conscious or cultural community of which they were a part
Purpose
The purpose of this legislation is to require cemeteries to be conscious and sensitive to the deceased whose culture requires a time sensitive burial.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends the general business law by adding a new section 451-a which requires cemeteries to accommodate the burial of a deceased human if two-hours notice are given, and the deceased arrives one-half hour before sunset. If the above accommodations cannot be met, the cemetery must provide a log, or other written proof of their inability. Additionally, this section makes it known that extra expenses may be added to the cost of the burial, if necessary, to make any accommodations available.
Section 2 is a compliance clause.
Section 3. This legislation shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become law.
Justification
Those communities and people whose custom is immediate burial upon death, in some instances, have been denied such burial in a timely manner. The bill addresses this sensitive issue.
Fiscal implications
None
Local fiscal implications
None
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.