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S 2850Licensing & Accreditation

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

This bill reduces mandatory funeral home inspections to once a year and allows out-of-state practical exams for licensing reciprocity.

Held for study
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 4, 2026Committee Senate Health & Human Services

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the regulations governing funeral directors, embalmers, and funeral establishments in Rhode Island. Primarily, it reduces the mandatory inspection frequency for funeral establishments, branch offices, and crematories from twice a year to once a year. Additionally, the bill updates the requirements for licensure by endorsement, which applies to professionals moving from other states. It removes the specific requirement that an out-of-state applicant must pass a practical examination "in Rhode Island," allowing them to qualify if they have satisfactorily passed a practical examination elsewhere. It also corrects a statutory reference number.

For younger readers

This bill changes the rules for funeral homes, which are places that take care of people who have died. Right now, the government sends inspectors to check on these places two times every year to make sure they are clean and following the rules. This new law says inspectors only have to visit once a year. It also makes it easier for funeral directors who move here from other states to get a license to work. They won't have to take a big test again if they already passed a similar test in the state they came from.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Funeral DirectorsEmbalmersFuneral Home OwnersCrematory OperatorsGrieving Families
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Reduces barriers to employment for skilled workers moving to Rhode Island by recognizing out-of-state practical examinations, potentially aiding labor mobility.
  • Eliminates redundant testing requirements, which can be a financial and logistical hurdle for working-class professionals seeking licensure.
  • Streamlines administrative processes, potentially allowing state regulators to focus resources on more pressing enforcement areas rather than routine duplicate inspections.
  • Reduces the frequency of state oversight on funeral homes and crematories, which could compromise sanitary conditions and public health protections for the community.
  • May leave grieving families, who are vulnerable consumers, more susceptible to malpractice or negligence due to decreased regulatory monitoring.
  • Weakens the state's ability to proactively catch violations of labor or safety standards within the funeral industry before they become systemic issues.
For Conservatives
  • Reduces government interference in private business operations by cutting the mandatory inspection frequency of funeral establishments in half.
  • Promotes occupational freedom and deregulation by removing the requirement for qualified out-of-state professionals to retake a practical examination in Rhode Island.
  • Increases efficiency and reduces administrative burdens on business owners, allowing them to operate with less bureaucratic oversight.
  • Relies on the testing standards of other states rather than maintaining strict local control over the qualifications of professionals operating within Rhode Island.
  • Could potentially erode consumer confidence in the industry if less frequent inspections lead to a decline in standards, indirectly harming reputable businesses.
  • Delegates the verification of practical skills to entities outside of Rhode Island's direct jurisdiction, potentially weakening state sovereignty in licensing matters.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 6 additions · 4 deletions

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Sections 5-33.2-13 and 5-33.2-26 of the General Laws in Chapter 5-33.2 entitled "Funeral Director/Embalmer and Funeral Service Establishments" are 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. 5-33.2-26. Licensure by endorsement. Any funeral director/embalmer who is currently licensed in good standing in another state may be licensed by endorsement in Rhode Island. Every funeral director/embalmer seeking such licensure must also be a graduate of a mortuary college, must have passed the funeral director and embalmer portions of the written examination of the national board. Furthermore, every funeral director/embalmer must comply with all requirements of chapter 5-33 chapter 33.2 of title 5 and successfully complete have satisfactorily passed a practical examination in Rhode Island. Anyone licensed in another state prior to 1985 is hereby exempt from the National Board Examination requirements set forth in this section.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.