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Judiciary Committee changes unauthorized-burial penalty to civil fine, reports bill 5-0
Summary
The Judiciary Committee voted to report a bill that narrows a new crime to abuse of a dead body (excluding fetal remains) and replaces a prior felony penalty tied to burial-transit permit violations with a civil penalty; supporters cited public‑health concerns and legal distinctions in existing statutes.
At a Judiciary Committee meeting, members voted 5-0 to report a bill as amended that narrows a new offense to the abuse of the dead body of a person and makes the penalty for certain burial-permit violations a civil penalty rather than a felony.
Committee counsel summarized the legal effect of the amendment, saying it confines the new criminal provision to the abuse of a dead person and does not apply to fetal remains. "What this new amendment achieves is that new crime in section 1 applies to the abuse of a dead body of a person and does not apply to fetal remains," Ben, a staff member, told the committee.
The memo Ben described traces how Title 18 currently requires a burial-transit (disposition) permit for the burial or removal of a dead…
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