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Committee approves separating funeral-director and embalmer licenses, citing cremation trends and workforce flexibility
Summary
The committee voted unanimously to split the combined embalmer-and-funeral-director license into two separate licenses, a change supporters said reflects growing cremation rates and reduces barriers to employment in the death-care industry.
Sen. Walker presented Senate Bill 239 to separate licensure for funeral directors and embalmers. Supporters said the change reflects decades of industry evolution and an increase in cremation: "Up until 1976 you could be a funeral director by apprenticeship; now the law required embalmer qualification as well," one supporter said, noting cremation rates have risen substantially.
Industry witnesses, including Scott Young of SEI Georgia Funeral Services and Cy Hume of A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home, told the committee the bill would not lower educational standards for either profession but would allow those who choose to be only funeral directors to enter the workforce without embalming training, while those providing embalming services would still complete the science-focused curriculum. Hume also explained that a full-time person-in-charge (FDFCC) would remain dual-licensed and supervise non-dual licensees.
Witnesses said the change would help veterans and professionals moving from other states to work in Georgia without retraining as embalmers, and industry educators and mortuary-college leaders supported the measure. The committee voted to pass the bill unanimously and reported it favorably.
