PRINTER'S NO. 1901
No. 1490 Session of 1996
INTRODUCED BY TOMLINSON, GERLACH, SCHWARTZ, O'PAKE AND RHOADES, APRIL 9, 1996
REFERRED TO CONSUMER PROTECTION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE, APRIL 9, 1996
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 22 first day of November of each odd numbered year, to mail to
1 every licensed funeral director a blank application for renewal 2 of license. Renewal may be effected at any time during the month 3 of January of every even numbered year by the filing of such 4 application with the board together with such renewal fee as may 5 be fixed by the department, with the approval of the board. The 6 board may, at its discretion, renew the license of any funeral 7 director who has failed to make application for renewal before 8 the first day of February of any even numbered year. 9 (b) The board shall adopt, promulgate and enforce rules and 10 regulations consistent with the provisions of this act 11 establishing requirements of continuing education to be met by 12 individuals licensed as funeral directors as a condition for 13 renewal of their licenses. The board may waive all or part of 14 the continuing education requirements or grant extensions of 15 time in which to fulfill such requirements in the case of a 16 funeral director who provides evidence, to the board's 17 satisfaction, that he was unable to complete the requirements 18 due to military service, certified illness, physical disability 19 or hardship. The regulations shall include any fees necessary 20 for the board to carry out its responsibilities under this 21 section. 22 (c) For licenses renewed in 1996, a licensee shall be 23 required to have completed a minimum of ten (10) clock hours of 24 continuing education as a prerequisite for license renewal. For 25 licenses renewed in 1998, a licensee shall be required to have 26 completed a minimum of fifteen (15) clock hours of continuing 27 education within the previous two calendar years as a 28 prerequisite for license renewal. For licenses renewed in 2000 29 and subsequent years, a licensee shall be required to have 30 completed a minimum of twenty (20) clock hours of continuing 19960S1490B1901 - 2 -
1 education within the previous two (2) calendar years as a 2 prerequisite for license renewal. 3 (d) All courses, materials, locations and instructors shall 4 be approved by the board. No credit may be given for any course 5 in office management or practice building. Only those 6 educational programs that are available to all licensees on a 7 reasonable, nondiscriminatory fee basis shall be approved. The 8 board may approve programs requiring personal on-site attendance 9 and programs conducted by correspondence, located within and 10 outside of this Commonwealth. 11 (e) On and after February 1, 2000, an individual licensed as 12 a funeral director who wishes to activate a license which has 13 been placed on inactive status shall be required to document 14 twenty (20) clock hours of continuing education. 15 (f) The board shall inform licensees of the continuing 16 education requirement prior to the renewal period when 17 continuing education is required. Each renewal notice thereafter 18 shall include the following additional information: 19 (1) That licenses may be placed on inactive status for no 20 more than five (5) years. 21 (2) The appropriate number of hours of continuing education 22 which individuals must document in order to reactivate a license 23 which has been placed on inactive status. 24 (3) The procedure and fee required for activating an 25 inactive license. 26 (4) That a licensee who fails to activate his license after 27 five (5) years must retake the appropriate examination. 28 Section 2. The State Board of Funeral Directors shall 29 initiate the promulgation of regulations to carry out the 30 provisions of this amendatory act within six months of the 19960S1490B1901 - 3 -
1 effective date of this amendatory act. 2 Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days. B2L63RZ/19960S1490B1901 - 4 -