PRINTER'S NO. 2567
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
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE,
OCTOBER 21, 1991
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. The regulations shall include any fees necessary for
21 the board to carry out its responsibilities under this
22 amendatory act.
23 (c) For licenses renewed in 1994, a licensee shall be
24 required to have completed a minimum of ten (10) contact hours
25 of continuing education or one (1) certified education unit, as
26 a prerequisite for license renewal. For licenses renewed in
27 1996, a licensee shall be required to have completed a minimum
28 of fifteen (15) contact hours of continuing education or one and
29 one-half (1.5) certified education units within the previous two
30 calendar years as a prerequisite for license renewal. For
19910H2061B2567 - 2 -
1 licenses renewed in 1998 and subsequent years, a licensee shall
2 be required to have completed a minimum of twenty (20) contact
3 hours of continuing education or two (2) certified education
4 units within the previous two (2) calendar years as a
5 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. Only those educational
11 programs that are available to all licensees on a reasonable,
12 nondiscriminatory fee basis shall be approved. Programs
13 conducted within or outside of this Commonwealth may receive
14 approval.
15 (e) The board shall initiate the promulgation of regulations
16 to carry out the provisions of this amendatory act within six
17 months of the effective date of this amendatory act.
18 (f) The board shall inform licensees of the continuing
19 education requirement prior to the renewal period when
20 continuing education is required.
21 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
J8L63WMB/19910H2061B2567 - 3 -