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H7920ALicensing & Accreditation

Businesses and Professions - Funeral Director/embalmer and Funeral Service Establishments

This bill reduces the required state inspections of funeral homes and crematories from twice a year to once a year.

Introduced60 Yea4 Nay11 Not voting
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Corporations

Plain-English Summary

This bill changes the state law regarding how often funeral homes, their branch offices, and crematories must be inspected. Previously, these facilities were required to be inspected at least twice a year. This legislation reduces the minimum requirement to at least once a year. The inspections will continue to cover sanitation, public health, complaint investigations, and general compliance with state rules and regulations.

For younger readers

Just like a school gets checked to make sure it is safe and clean, the places that take care of people after they pass away get checked by the state. These places are called funeral homes. Before, the state had to visit and check these places at least two times every year. This new rule changes it so the state only has to visit and check them at least one time every year to make sure they are following the rules.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Funeral home ownersEmbalmersCrematory operatorsState health inspectorsFamilies of the deceased
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Frees up valuable public health resources and state inspectors to focus on higher-priority public health concerns rather than conducting redundant routine checks.
  • Allows state inspectors to concentrate their efforts on complaint-driven investigations, ensuring that facilities with actual reported issues receive the most attention and oversight.
  • Reduces administrative and compliance costs for smaller, independent funeral homes, which could help prevent price increases for low-income families needing end-of-life services.
  • Decreases state oversight of funeral establishments, potentially leading to a decline in sanitation and public health standards within these facilities.
  • Could disproportionately impact marginalized communities who may rely on lower-cost facilities that might cut corners on health and safety protocols without strict bi-annual oversight.
  • Reduces the proactive nature of government public health services by waiting for a complaint to trigger additional inspections rather than catching issues early.
For Conservatives
  • Reduces unnecessary government bureaucracy and red tape by halving the mandatory inspection requirement for private businesses.
  • Lowers the operational and compliance burdens on funeral home owners, allowing them to run their businesses with less government interference.
  • Saves taxpayer money by decreasing the workload and resource allocation required by the state health department for routine inspections.
  • May compromise traditional values of dignity and respect for the deceased if reduced oversight leads to unsanitary or improper conditions in funeral homes.
  • Could allow bad actors or fraudulent businesses to operate longer without detection, undermining the rule of law in a sensitive industry.
  • Might lead to an increase in consumer complaints and legal disputes if the quality of service degrades due to decreased state accountability.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions
Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 3 additions · 1 deletion

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Sections 5-33.2-13 of the General Laws in Chapter 5-33.2 entitled "Funeral Director/Embalmer and Funeral Service Establishments" is hereby amended to read as follows: 5-33.2-13. Funeral establishment and branch officer — Crematories — Inspections — Denial of access.

(a) Any licensed funeral director/embalmer employed, authorized, and empowered by the division of professional regulation may enter any funeral establishment, funeral-establishment branch office, or crematory licensed under the provisions of this chapter, during the hours the funeral establishment, funeral-establishment branch office, or crematory is open for business, for the purpose of inspecting the sanitary conditions, complaint investigations, and ascertaining if the provisions of this chapter and the rules and regulations are being observed in the operation of the funeral establishment, funeral-establishment branch office, or crematory. The inspector may request permission from the department to be accompanied by another employee of the department of health prior to an inspection. Failure or refusal of the person in charge of that funeral establishment, funeral-establishment branch office, or crematory to permit the inspection at all reasonable times shall be deemed sufficient cause for the revocation of any license issued to the funeral establishment, funeral-establishment branch office, or crematory and any certificate of approval issued by the division.

(b) Funeral establishments and branch offices and crematories licensed under the provisions of this chapter shall be inspected at least twice once each year. Inspections shall include all areas of sanitation and public health, complaint investigations, as well as conformity with applicable section of this chapter and the rules and regulations.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.