PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 2567 PRINTER'S NO. 3060
No. 2061 Session of 1991
INTRODUCED BY TOMLINSON, SALOOM, ALLEN, PISTELLA, COLAFELLA,
BELARDI, HAYES, DEMPSEY, CESSAR, TULLI, MARSICO,
M. N. WRIGHT, CLYMER, BOYES AND REINARD, OCTOBER 21, 1991
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, FEBRUARY 4, 1992
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of January 14, 1952 (1951 P.L.1898, No.522),
2 entitled, as amended, "An act to provide for the better
3 protection of life and health of the citizens of this
4 Commonwealth by requiring and regulating the examination,
5 licensure and registration of persons and registration of
6 corporations engaging in the care, preparation and
7 disposition of the bodies of deceased persons, and providing
8 penalties; providing for a State Board of Funeral Directors
9 in the Department of State, and repealing other laws,"
10 providing for continuing education as a condition for license
11 renewal.
12 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
13 hereby enacts as follows:
14 Section 1. Section 10 of the act of January 14, 1952 (1951
15 P.L.1898, No.522), known as the Funeral Director Law, amended
16 June 13, 1961 (P.L.291, No.172), is amended to read:
17 Section 10. Expiration of Licenses; Renewal[.--]; Mandatory
18 Continuing Education.--(a) All valid funeral directors'
19 licenses granted or renewed under this or any prior act shall
20 expire on the first day of February of 1962, and biennially
21 thereafter. It shall be the duty of the board, on or before the
1 first day of November of each odd numbered year, to mail to
2 every licensed funeral director a blank application for renewal
3 of license. Renewal may be effected at any time during the month
4 of January of every even numbered year by the filing of such
5 application with the board together with such renewal fee as may
6 be fixed by the department, with the approval of the board. The
7 board may, at its discretion, renew the license of any funeral
8 director who has failed to make application for renewal before
9 the first day of February of any even numbered year.
10 (b) The board shall adopt, promulgate and enforce rules and
11 regulations consistent with the provisions of this act
12 establishing requirements of continuing education to be met by
13 individuals licensed as funeral directors as a condition for
14 renewal of their licenses. The board may waive all or part of
15 the continuing education requirements or grant extensions of
16 time in which to fulfill such requirements in the case of a
17 funeral director who provides evidence, to the board's
18 satisfaction, that he was unable to complete the requirements
19 due to military service, certified illness or physical <--
20 disability, PHYSICAL DISABILITY OR HARDSHIP. The regulations <--
21 shall include any fees necessary for the board to carry out its
22 responsibilities under this amendatory act SECTION. <--
23 (c) For licenses renewed in 1994, a licensee shall be
24 required to have completed a minimum of ten (10) contact CLOCK <--
25 hours of continuing education or one (1) certified education <--
26 unit, as a prerequisite for license renewal. For licenses
27 renewed in 1996, a licensee shall be required to have completed
28 a minimum of fifteen (15) contact CLOCK hours of continuing <--
29 education or one and one-half (1.5) certified education units <--
30 within the previous two calendar years as a prerequisite for
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1 license renewal. For licenses renewed in 1998 and subsequent
2 years, a licensee shall be required to have completed a minimum
3 of twenty (20) contact CLOCK hours of continuing education or <--
4 two (2) certified education units within the previous two (2)
5 calendar years as a prerequisite for license renewal.
6 (d) All courses, materials, locations and instructors shall
7 be approved by the board after consultation with appropriate <--
8 funeral service educators, the education committee of the
9 Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association and such other groups
10 as the board may desire to consult. NO CREDIT MAY BE GIVEN FOR <--
11 ANY COURSE IN OFFICE MANAGEMENT OR PRACTICE BUILDING. Only those
12 educational programs that are available to all licensees on a
13 reasonable, nondiscriminatory fee basis shall be approved.
14 Programs conducted within or outside of this Commonwealth may <--
15 receive approval.
16 (e) The board shall initiate the promulgation of regulations
17 to carry out the provisions of this amendatory act within six
18 months of the effective date of this amendatory act. THE BOARD <--
19 MAY APPROVE PROGRAMS REQUIRING PERSONAL ON-SITE ATTENDANCE AND
20 PROGRAMS CONDUCTED BY CORRESPONDENCE, LOCATED WITHIN AND OUTSIDE
21 OF THIS COMMONWEALTH.
22 (E) ON AND AFTER FEBRUARY 1, 1998, AN INDIVIDUAL LICENSED AS
23 A FUNERAL DIRECTOR WHO WISHES TO ACTIVATE A LICENSE WHICH HAS
24 BEEN PLACED ON INACTIVE STATUS SHALL BE REQUIRED TO DOCUMENT
25 TWENTY (20) CLOCK HOURS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION.
26 (f) The board shall inform licensees of the continuing
27 education requirement prior to the renewal period when
28 continuing education is required. EACH RENEWAL NOTICE THEREAFTER <--
29 SHALL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
30 (1) THAT LICENSES MAY BE PLACED ON INACTIVE STATUS FOR NO
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1 MORE THAN FIVE (5) YEARS.
2 (2) THE APPROPRIATE NUMBER OF HOURS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION
3 WHICH INDIVIDUALS MUST DOCUMENT IN ORDER TO REACTIVATE A LICENSE
4 WHICH HAS BEEN PLACED ON INACTIVE STATUS.
5 (3) THE PROCEDURE AND FEE REQUIRED FOR ACTIVATING AN
6 INACTIVE LICENSE.
7 (4) THAT A LICENSEE WHO FAILS TO ACTIVATE HIS LICENSE AFTER
8 FIVE (5) YEARS MUST RETAKE THE APPROPRIATE EXAMINATION.
9 SECTION 2. THE STATE BOARD OF FUNERAL DIRECTORS SHALL
10 INITIATE THE PROMULGATION OF REGULATIONS TO CARRY OUT THE
11 PROVISIONS OF THIS AMENDATORY ACT WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF THE
12 EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS AMENDATORY ACT.
13 Section 2 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days. <--
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