PRINTER'S NO. 3896
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
2583
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY M. QUINN, READSHAW, BARRAR, DUNBAR, PICKETT,
MILLARD, KAUFER, SOLOMON, JAMES, SCHWEYER, DALEY, MENTZER,
ROEBUCK, J. McNEILL, GOODMAN, DONATUCCI, CHARLTON, HEFFLEY,
STAATS, CORR, WARD, DAVIS, P. COSTA, FARRY, EVERETT,
DRISCOLL, KORTZ, GILLEN AND D. COSTA, AUGUST 7, 2018
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, AUGUST 7, 2018
AN ACT
Amending Title 51 (Military Affairs) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in Department of Military Affairs,
providing for burial benefits.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Title 51 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
§ 705.1. Burial benefits.
(a) Notice of burial benefits.--
(1) The following persons shall be required to provide
information regarding the availability of veterans' burial
benefits to a purchaser of funeral merchandise or a burial
lot:
(i) A licensed funeral director.
(ii) A funeral entity.
(iii) A cemetery company.
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(2) A funeral director, funeral entity or cemetery
company shall also notify the county where the veteran
resided of the death. The notification shall be made to the
county no later than the notice provided under subsection (a)
(1).
(b) Required information.--At a minimum, information on the
following shall be provided under subsection (a)(1):
(1) Burial benefits and allowances, flags to be draped
over caskets and headstones and markers, as provided under 38
U.S.C. Ch. 23 (relating to burial benefits).
(2) Burial in national cemeteries as provided under 38
U.S.C. § 112 (relating to Presidential memorial certificate
program).
(3) Military funeral honors as provided under 10 U.S.C.
§ 1491 (relating to funeral honors functions at funerals for
veterans).
(c) Affidavit.--A funeral director, funeral entity and
cemetery company shall require the following:
(1) A purchaser to sign an affidavit indicating that the
information under subsection (a)(1) was supplied prior to the
purchase of any funeral merchandise or burial lot.
(2) Written acknowledgment of the notification made
under subsection (a)(2).
(d) Penalty.--A funeral director or officer of a cemetery
company who fails to furnish this required information commits a
misdemeanor of the third degree.
(e) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Funeral entity." As defined in 49 Pa. Code § 13.1 (relating
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to definitions).
"Licensed funeral director." As defined in 49 Pa. Code §
13.1.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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