Legislators consider aid for financially strained perpetual-care cemeteries; sponsor asks for appropriation

Representative Crawford presented House Bill 1577, an appropriation bill to establish grants for perpetual-care cemeteries experiencing financial hardship and needing infrastructure repairs. The sponsor said the proposed funding would come from cemetery sales revenue and that many cemeteries have seen maintenance funds decline because of increasing cremation rates.

"They're all across the state. There are a hundred and 4 perpetual care cemeteries," Representative Crawford said when asked how many such cemeteries exist. Crawford described maintenance funds that range widely and cited instances of large seasonal mowing costs: "Just to mow the lawns on 1 cemetery is close to a hundred thousand dollars per season."

Committee members asked whether the state has previously funded this kind of relief and how many cemeteries are currently in fiscal distress. Crawford said she was not aware of prior statewide appropriations for this purpose and said she could report that in Fort Smith there are three cemeteries in fiscal distress. "To my knowledge, no" statewide appropriation has been made, she told the committee.

The sponsor agreed to follow up with members and provide additional details on Tuesday’s agenda to help members resolve outstanding questions about counts, locations and fiscal conditions. The committee did not resolve all questions during the session; members were asked to consult with the sponsor before next meeting.

Outcome: The committee did not record a final appropriation vote on HB 1577 during the excerpted session; the sponsor requested follow-up and said the item would be placed on Tuesday’s agenda for further review.