Regulations
A rallying cry for colonists in pre-independent America was “No taxes without representation”. That basically referred to the act of taxing the colonies through British laws where colonists had no say, or vote, in the matter. However, most people don’t realize that one of the last indignities for this growing independence movement was…
It is my opinion that the lack of people to preside over ceremonies for the dead may in the future have a limiting effect on the number of ceremonies that are held. . . . which would be detrimental to those in the funeral home and memorial businesses. I understand that conducting…
2023 and 2024 have brought up lots of discussion about licensure for morticians, funeral directors, embalmers, transport operators, cremation operators, and removal technicians in the Death Care profession. Much of the discussion was started because of the low numbers of funeral professionals seeking job openings and the many openings left vacant. However,…
When I think of the cemetery in my little community in Minnesota. I’m guessing, like a lot of other communities that grew up in the American “Land Rush”, the city cemetery came out of necessity. When a pioneer citizen died the custom, and more than likely, the religious way to take…
Earlier in May the Attorney General of the State of California issued a press release which you can read here announcing an agreement with Service Corporation International (SCI) over an eight-year dispute on how SCI delivered on their preneed funding. In essence, concerning preneed sold through SCI’s Neptune and Trident locations in…
“This rule affects every segment of the American economy and in a simple 3-2 vote destroys billions of dollars in value that employers have spent in compensation for a covenant not to compete”. That quote is part of the message delivered in a National Funeral Directors (NFDA) Special Bulletin on Tuesday by NFDA…
On Saturday night I was at a movie, came home and turned the television on to catch the news and learned of the missile bombardment of Israel that Iran took responsibility for. Now, I don’t know all the nuances of the political world that comes into these types of situations around the world,…
A week ago today I woke up to the news of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Harbor. It wasn’t so long ago that I was in Baltimore for the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention in October 2022. I was in awe of being in proximity to…
We are blessed to live in a country which allows for religious freedom. And, when you work as a funeral director helping those who have lost loved ones to death, it’s a privilege to help even when those client families don’t believe as you do. However, have you ever thought about…
What happens when deceased human remains remain unclaimed? In the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador that situation is causing a problem. According to this article there is no easy solution on the human disposition of deceased human beings who are either unidentified or in a situation that the family does not claim…
