09/27/2012

URGENT REQUEST! OFDA PAC NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT

URGENT REQUEST!

 OFDA PAC NEEDS YOUR SUPPOR
*DONATE ONLINE TODAY*

To:       OFDA Members 

From:  Mark Merz, CFSP, President
            Jon Deitloff, CFSP, Chairman, Legislative Committee

The current session of the Ohio Legislature ends at the end of this year. The OFDA is working hard to pass H.B. 481 which makes several changes to Ohio’s funeral laws that will be helpful to your profession. The Legislature will not be in session until after the November 6^th General Election, so there are only a few session days left to enact H.B. 481 in to Ohio law.  H.B. 481 will do the following:

• Inactive Status:  Establish a new procedure to allow funeral directors and embalmers to place their licenses on inactive status. 

• Funeral Home License Applications:  Clarify that when an existing funeral home is sold and the new owner files a new funeral home license application with the State Board of Embalmers & Funeral Directors (hereinafter “the Board”), that the funeral home can continue to operate until the Board meets to review the new application.

• Courtesy Card License:  Authorize the Board to issue Courtesy Card licenses to funeral directors in bordering states which would allow them to conduct limited funeral related activities in Ohio. (Adjoining states are enacting similar laws.)

•  Emergency License:  Provide a license exemption to funeral directors from other states that come to Ohio to work with Ohio funeral directors during a declared emergency.  

•  Cremation Identification:  ClarifyOhio law to spell-out a funeral home’s obligation to arrange identification and the types of identification that satisfyOhio law.  Under this provision, the funeral home is only obligated to carry out the visual identification of the decedent’s remains.  The statute also allows the funeral home to rely upon the identification made by a coroner.

We are also working to restore language removed in the Ohio House to authorize the Board to license and regulate Alkaline Hydrolysis facilities in a similar manner as crematories.

OFDA PAC’s resources have been significantly depleted and we need your help right now to meet our political campaign obligations prior to the November election.

Please help support our efforts to improve the laws regulating funeral service in Ohio by making your personal contribution to “OFDA PAC” today!  Thanks.

You may  DONATE ONLINE TODAY or download the OFDA PAC Fillable and Faxable Contribution Form