Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Funeral Services Disposition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Montana lawmaker seeks interim study on natural reduction and alkaline hydrolysis for human remains
Summary
Rep. Denise Baum asked the House Business and Labor Committee to authorize an interim study of alternative final disposition methods — including natural organic reduction (human composting) and alkaline hydrolysis — citing environmental benefits and the need for model statutes and regulatory clarity.
Representative Denise Baum (R-45) asked the House Business and Labor Committee to approve an interim study of morticians and funeral services that would examine alternative final disposition methods, notably natural organic reduction and alkaline hydrolysis. Baum said the idea came from a constituent and follow-up work with the Funeral Services Board.
The study request, filed as House Joint Resolution 27, would let legislators and stakeholders consider terminology and licensing, how cemeteries or burial forests could be used, and safeguards around handling and disposition of any byproducts. "Natural reduction is a process where human remains are converted to soil using a container that accelerates the process of biological decomposition," Baum said, describing the method as producing soil in four to six weeks and noting that Washington and Oregon have developed legal frameworks and burial-forest uses.
Brad Longcake of the Montana Funeral Directors Association supported the study, telling the committee that the industry needs time to reconcile terminology — "mortician" versus older terms such as "undertaker" — and to define licensing distinctions between mortuaries and crematories. He said Montana currently has no providers offering the two processes but that the industry and the Funeral Services Board want time to draft appropriate statutes and rules.
Quinlan O'Connor, chief legal counsel for the Department of Labor and Industry (which houses the Funeral Services Board), told the committee the department already planned a statute review of the board and welcomed legislative help. Committee members asked whether prior legislation on alkaline hydrolysis existed; O'Connor said he was not aware of recent bills.
Proponents raised environmental data cited by the sponsor: estimates presented during testimony compared material and energy use from conventional burial and flame cremation; Baum noted figures for wood, concrete, embalming fluid and greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional practices. Witnesses also referenced "model disposition standards for funeral service" and pointed to Washington state's statutes and rules as a potential model for Montana.
No formal action or vote was recorded during the hearing. The sponsor asked the committee to give HJR 27 a "do pass" recommendation so the interim body could develop legislation for the 2027 session.
The committee closed the hearing after proponents and an informational witness from the Department of Labor and Industry spoke.
